Observations
by Thisisentertaining
Summary: Ever since the elevator incident, Takagi's been watching Conan. A case comes up that gives him the perfect opportunity, but when things go wrong they find themselves in the hands of a professional criminal, with seemingly no chance of escape. TakagiXSatou
1. Chapter 1

This is going to be my first story that isn't a one-shot. I have a plan for it and I'll try to update it every week. Anyone interested can expect the next chapter to come out next Saturday. Sorry about this chapter, it has a lot of big blocks of text. I hope you enjoy my story and I'll try really hard to update often. Disclaimer: I don't own detective Conan, but someday I will own a book, then I'll wright fanfic for it just so that I can say, yes I do own this.

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Takagi looked down at the bespectacled boy beside him, not that the child noticed. No, he was completely absorbed in the mystery at hand. His chin was in his hand, his face serious and contemplative. It was an expression completely alien to the childish face it adorned. The cop knew that if he should say anything, the face would immediately disappear and be replaced with an innocent, childish facade. Knowing this, he remained silent, opting instead to use this rare moment of the boy's mental detachment to openly study him. Conan was no longer the curious, sweet, fairly smart but otherwise normal seven year old boy he seemed with Ran. Nor was he the very intelligent, observing, and protecting boy he was with the detective boy's and Kogoro. No, now he was the confident and deadly serious genius youth calmly going over facts and evidence. The one who surveyed crime scenes when he though no one was looked. He was the boy in the elevator, dismantling a bomb like a pro, no fear for his own life but for the life of someone else.

A slight chill racked the police detective's body as he remembered that night. The boy's calm answer to his nearly joking question "Who are you?" No, perhaps joking was a bad word. The situation was deadly serious, literally. Just as the boy's answer had been. A glare on his glasses, hiding his eyes and expression as he calmly answered "I'll tell you in the afterlife." It was the boy who said those words who was walking beside him now. Not cute Conan-kun, not the leader of the detective boys, not Mouri's apprentice. This child was something more. He was Holmes, the master Sleuth in the body of a child. He was a mind to rival Kudo Shinichi and Hattori Heiji, two youth's already considered geniuses because of their deductive skills that outmatched any adult. He was a detective, in the truest sense of the word.

Stepping up to the gate of the desired house, Takagi pressed the bell to alert the house's owner of his arrival. He hoped the far-off ringing would not rouse the boy from his pondering, but couldn't risk stalling in fear of alerting the boy of his study. The quiet buzzing of an electronic lock sounded as the gate opened slightly. Takagi held it open for Conan then entered himself. Momentarily pausing in his study of the child to hope he wasn't interrupting anything. Though he supposed the man Itoumo Kasai should have been expecting them. The two had come earlier to question him as a witness, but as usual he had to retrace his steps to check some things and ask for additional information. Still, he couldn't help his small twinge of unease. The whole situation reminded him of an eerily similar one, one in which he nearly lost his life. If it hadn't been for the mahjong tile he'd kept as evidence he wouldn't be there now.

On the day that the time limit for arresting a murderer was to expire, it seemed as if the culprit struck again, killing another man. He went to a witness's house to review information from the original murders. When he went to ask the man, not even a suspect, about the first murder he found himself kidnapped. The man confessed to be the killer of the recent case, killing the original murderer using his own signature. Things had quickly gotten out of hand and Takagi had come out of it pretty badly beaten, yet gratefully still alive. Sure he hadn't gotten to go to the hot springs with Satou, but it could have been much worse. Especially considering the kiss. Yes, the kiss... sigh, happiness.

Bringing his mind quickly back to the case, Takagi glanced down at the boy, glad to see his happy sigh hadn't broken his concentration. Even if he was no longer studying the tiny tantei, the boy's brainpower could possibly be the only difference between an open and closed case. The child presence was one of the very few differences between the other case and the present one. Still the feeling of Deja-vu lingered. He forced himself to shake it off, or at least ignore it. There was no way something like that could happen to him twice. He couldn't be that unlucky. He quickly shot that argument out of his mind, knowing that with his record, he definitely could be.

Reaching the door to the house, he knock softly. "Imouto-san? It's me the detective who talked to you earlier." His voice finally broke Conan out of his revery. Immediately a childish mask fitted itself over his face. The older detective repressed a shiver. At least he knew he wouldn't have any trouble questioning the witness, not with Conan with him. If the man tried to avoid the question or lie, Conan would some how make him answer. Asking seemingly irrelevant questions in an innocent way until the man talked himself into a trap. The moment the trap snapped, with its squirming victim inside finally telling the truth, for the briefest moment a smug, all knowing smirk would appear on the child's face. Gone in the instant someone noticed him again. Anyone other than Takagi that is.

The man had been studying Conan for a long time, far before even the elevator case, and seemed the perfect one to do it. He was considered the pushover, the one you can tease or make play the victim. He was Megure's sidekick, always nearby taking notes. For a long time he'd simply been part of the background. It was hardly a rewarding role, but one he was good at and stuck in. That had been changing lately, he was getting a bigger role in cases, and more well known because of his successes with Satou. His crime solving successes and his, cough, romantic ones. He was seeing the kids more than the other cops too, even on his off-duty days they seemed to find him. He was sure Conan showed himself more as a detective with him than with any other cop. Probably more than everyone barring perhaps Hattori and Agasa. Takagi noticed he was asking for more favors during cases, and he'd practically completely stopped with the "Oji-san wants..." excuse that everyone else so foolishly bought.

Conan showed himself more freely to Takagi than many of the others. There were many things he still attempted to hide, but Takagi was still very good at hiding in the background. It was subtle, a hidden grin here, a slip of the tongue there, a picture of the boy's true self was showing itself, but the colors were deluded and splayed randomly across the canvas. It was quickly becoming a picture of chaos rather than the orderly one he wished. With every new insight and revelation, a once asked question still played on his lips. "Who are you?" Yet he knew he would get no more than what was already said. "I'll tell you in the afterlife." In other words, "I'll protect my secret with my life, and I'll only tell when I'm dead."

He heared movement beside him as the subject of his thoughts squirmed in impatience. Where was Imouto-san? He must know they were there, he buzzed them in after all. Still Takagi knocked on the door, once again calling out to the man. His mind was brought back to how similar this was to the case long age. The feeling only intensified as a dark shadow loomed over him and a splitting pain shot up from the back of his head. He crumpled, hearing from Conan a shocked squawk as a large hand grabbed him by the scruff. That was the last thing he saw before the world faded to black.


	2. Chapter 2

WOW, thank you guys sooo much for all of the reviews, favorites, and alerts! It really made my week. It also inspired me... which is why this chapter is so long. The others will probably be closer in size to my first chapter than the first one. Still, thank you guys so much! I had fun writing this, I really like kidnapping scenes. I hope you all like reading it!

Disclaimer: Same as the first chapter

It was a while before the officer regained consciousness, but when he did his mind was immediately flooded with the events that had caused him to lose it. Takagi remained completely still, taking stock of his surroundings. His arms and legs were bound and duck tape covered his mouth, keeping him silent. He was on something thin yet comfortable, like a couch. Suddenly there was a large jerk, and he would've flown into the air had it not been for the strap keeping him in the seat. Okay, so not a couch, a car. He was very warm, a blanket covered him, probably to hide his bindings from people looking in the window. Squinting his eyes he confirmed that he wasn't blindfolded, then opened them completely when he realized there was nothing more to be gained by feigning sleep.

The detective's eyes quickly scanned the vehicle holding him. A small Japanese model, extremely nondescript with nothing personal on the inside. It almost looked as if he'd just drove off the lot without taking the car home yet. Takagi let go of the unlikely yet formerly present hope that the man would steal his car, which would make it so much easier for the others to find them. His eyes went to the driver. Itoumo hadn't notice his wakefulness, too concentrated on the road ahead. The cop's eyes continued until they saw the prone figure in the passenger seat. Takagi was laying with his head behind the seat, so he couldn't see much, but through the headrest he could see the small tuff of hair that marked Conan's cowlick. A quick glance to the floor showed that whoever was in the seat didn't have legs long enough to reach the ground. He let out a soft sigh of relief, confident that the genius-child was indeed the one in the chair. It didn't necessarily mean that either of them was safe, but he probably wasn't dead. The fact that both of them were alive was a good sign, it was a lot easier to escape after being kidnapped than being murdered.

They hit what Takagi guessed was another bump and he was once again jerked from his laying position. From his brief time in the air he was able to see more of the child accompanying him. Conan's eyes were closed and a germ mask covered his mouth. Takagi then realized that one covered his as well, he was sure that under Conan's mask there was duck tape similar to that which silenced him. The boy's hands were buried in the front pouch of the unfamiliar hoodie he wore. If the man's skill at camouflage was anything to go by, the cop felt confident in the assumption that Conan's hands were bound together as well inside the pocket. With a chill Takagi realized that to anyone looking in, they would simply look like two people who were sleeping off their colds in the car. The older one laying out along the back seats with a blanket while the child huddled in his sweater in the passenger seat.

Itoumo looked back at me, and noticed his captive was awake. A smug grin filled his countenance.

"Well, Well, seem our officer is finally awake. Guess you never figured it out did you? Hah, the police these days, completely helpless. They need a teenager or someone sleep talking to solve anything." He suddenly cursed, jerking the wheel as he struggled to get back into the lane he left while distracted. Under the duck tape Takagi yelped in surprised as his head met the door, sending more pain into an already tender spot. He quickly forced himself to focus though, worried Conan would be injured because he couldn't brace himself while unconscious. Yet when he was able to see the boy again the child wasn't slumped against the wall or falling out into the space between his seat and the driver. In fact he hadn't moved at all. That would only be possible if he braced himself when the car turned. He was awake. It didn't seem as if their captor knew this though, back in the correct lane, he'd resumed gloating.

"That's right, looks like I gave you cops too much credit. When you came back to talk to me, I was sure you'd figured it out that I killed him. I thought you'd come to arrest me, or at least to question me. Ha! Nope, you didn't even suspect me did you? I figured it out a second too late though. Really, I don't get why you were toting the kid around anyway, but to arrest a murderer? No way. Ha, one cop with only a toddler for back up. I really didn't think that one through. Ah well, not too much I can do about it now. They'll know its me now of course, so I'm afraid I'm gonna have to drag you two along with me till I'm far enough away it won't matter. After that well, I guess it depends on how well you two behave. I guess I don't really need both of you to ensure my safety, but I'm sure you'll behave better knowing you're expendable. Especially you. It doesn't take a genius to figure out which of the two of you would make a easier to handle hostage."

You might be surprised about that, Takagi thought to himself.

"So you'd be the first to go. Also, I'd get so much farther with the little guy." At this time he reached over and mockingly pulled the cheek of said little guy, still thinking he was asleep. Immediately afterward he had to yank the wheel again to avoid a crash. As the prone officer slammed once again into the car door he grimaced. Couldn't the idiot drive more carefully? Wasn't he trying to _avoid_ the cops?

"As I was saying, I'd get so much farther with this little guy. From what I understand he's basically the homicide divisions mascot. No one would dare do anything as long as I had him. You, on the other hand, you're probably just another cop. No one really important."

At this point Takagi was wondering if the guy had been making up this speech the whole time he was unconscious. He did have a point about Conan though. He was kind of seen as the divisions mascot by most of the officers. The boy was known by name by nearly all of the officers in Japan. From Osaka to Tokyo to Gunma, all of the officers knew the boy. He was even well known by the Kaitou Kid Task Force. Not to mention Kid himself, many of the best private detectives in Japan, teenage and otherwise, and some members of the FBI. At this point Takagi wouldn't be surprised to find out he knew a member of the CIA. The comment that he was a nobody kind of stung, but it probably was close to the truth. Now that he was with Satou, some of the officers might see this as a chance to get rid of some stiff competition. He knew they wouldn't directly endanger him, but its possible they wouldn't try as hard as they would to protect Conan or the two of them together. If he'd kidnapped Satou though, well, the entire force would be on him before he could blink.

Another vicious jerk of the steering wheel as the man corrected his course once again. This one was the worse yet, and Takagi would've yelled in pain as his throbbing head connected with the car door. He felt a small trickle of blood slide down his face, as if everything else hadn't been bad enough. Seriously, how did this guy even get a license?

"Oh, so you're awake now too, huh?" Itoumo asked.

Takagi looked at the seat in front of him. No one could have pretend to sleep through that. Without even being able to see the child Takagi could picture perfectly the fake expression he would be wearing. One of a child, confused and terrified. Perhaps he would struggle a tiny bit. Yes, he was doing that now. Maybe look around the seat at him. Yes, and there was Conan's bespectacled face peering back. The boy's eyes, already seemingly terrified, widened when he saw the bound officer. Takagi couldn't tell if it was part of the act, or if he was genuinely surprised to see him lying there with blood trickling down his face. He didn't have long to wonder though. Itoumo's hand shot out and grabbed the boy's shoulder, slamming it back against the seat.

"Face forward and don't move, brat."

Conan didn't look back again, but he scooted in his seat farther away from the scary man, just as any child would. Takagi could almost swear he heard some quiet sniffling.

"Shut up!" The captor yelled, having to jerk the wheel yet again. Really, Takagi was getting tired of that. This time though, it was in the other direction. Takagi found himself pulled closer to the center of the car, giving him a better view of Conan, especially at that moment. The tiny detective had been forced across the seat and was hanging half off, trying desperately to right himself with bound hands. Itoumo snorted and grabbed the same shoulder as earlier, forcing the boy roughly into a sitting position. Takagi was left in the same position though, and he now had a better view of both in the front seat. So it was from there he saw Conan worriedly look down at his clothes, noticing for the first time they weren't his own. Itoumo noticed as well and chuckled, though he paid better attention to the roads that time.

"Yeah, your old clothes are long gone. Both of yours'," he added looking back at the officer in back. "I didn't want anyone recognizing you. Plus who knows what tricky police stuff you had on you."

At that moment the elder detective's heart sank. If he replaced all their clothes, then Conan wouldn't have his belt, shoes or watch on him anymore. Yes, he knew of the gadgets. He really had no clue how the other officers were so oblivious to them. I mean, the kid used them in plain sight sometimes. Like the case with the cars where he hid in the car to dart the culprit. Come on, the culprit gets into the car, mysteriously is knocked unconscious, and Conan comes out of the car with a target visible on his watch. How had he not gotten questioned about that? That was only one time of many that the child had been careless with the inventions. So through careful observation and the fact that it wasn't really hidden that well, Takagi learned the boy's secret of his gadgets. It wasn't hard to figure out how he got them either, Agasa was always making the kids toys, he could easily make stuff like that. Not that any of that really mattered at that point. The only important thing was that they didn't have them any more.

Suddenly there was the low click of a gun being cocked. The two captives looked down to see Itoumo was steering with one hand. The other was wrapped around a pistol held low away from the window, pointed at Takagi's head.

"Not a sound or a move from either of you," He hissed. "Close your eyes, both of you! You're asleep and if I see one movement contrary to that, this one dies. Well, what are you waiting for? Close you eyes."

Takagi quickly obeyed, hoping Conan would do the same. He supposed he did, because there was no gun shot. The car slowed to a stop, but Takagi forced himself to keep his eyes closed. He felt a hand brush against his forehead as Itoumo hastily wiped at the blood covering it. He pulled his hand away shortly, and with a slight mechanic whirr a cool breeze entered the car. The detective realized that Itoumo had opened the window.

"Hello," Itoumo cried out. "What can I help you with." A crunch of gravel told the man feigning sleep that someone approached the car. The next moment he heard the no nonsense speech of an officer.

"That was some pretty reckless driving back there, care to explain?" Unfortunately the detective didn't recognize the voice, not that that meant much. He didn't know anyone in the traffic department well other than Yumi. He could only hope that they would somehow recognize either him or Conan from sight.

"Oh, sorry. My friend back there gets really bad dreams and hallucinations when he's sick. He suddenly cried out and it startled me."

"Okay, that would make sense," The person outside said, and Takagi's heart sank. "The first time at least, but I saw you swerve dangerously at least three times. You telling me he scared you all three."

"Ah, no. He started tossing in his sleep, and was making a lot of weird noises, I figured he was having a nightmare and was trying to wake him up. I kept getting distracted by that instead of watching the road. Sorry."

"Oh really? Then why isn't he doing anything now? Why are you traveling with two sick people anyway; shouldn't they be resting at home?"

"He's still now because the jerking of the car woke him up and I calmed him down before he fell back asleep. We're traveling because we were vacationing together when they both got sick. I figure they'll get better easier in their own beds than a hotel room."

The traffic officer was silent for a moment. A moment in which the two captives prayed he's figured something out. Finally he spoke. " Okay then, let me see you license and registration and you should be good to go."

"Of course officer. Sorry for the trouble." There was a slight shuffle of pages, a pause then another shuffle as the kidnapper handed over the documents and got them back.

"Be more careful." Came the cops leaving call.

"I will." The driver responded, getting back onto the road and driving a ways before he started laughing uproariously. The other two took that as the okay to open their eyes. "Idiot cops still haven't figured anything out! He didn't take one look at you. They probably don't even know you were kidnapped yet. No wonder people like Kid tell you their plans beforehand. Otherwise you'd be completely useless. Ha!"

This guy was really getting on Takagi's nerves. He had several other witnesses to interview before returning to the precinct. Glancing at the cars clock he decided he wouldn't really be late for another hour or so. No wonder they didn't know of his absence. Now if Satou had been with him half the force would be searching, unfortunately that wasn't the case. However, with Conan with him, their captor may soon have to face an angry group of first graders. Yeah, that would intimidate him. The only positive thing of the encounter, if you could even call it positive, was that now he knew the man was armed in opposed to guessing.

The ride went much more smoothly after that. Conan kept shooting the bound man behind him glances, but every time he tried Itoumo would let out a low growl. Eventually the boy gave up, but Takagi could see him still eying the mirror and looking back at him. Eventually the police detective realized that the child's legs were tied to the positioning bar under the seat. Even if they came across a red light or something and had to stop, the boy still had no way of escape. Takagi had to admit, Itoumo thought things through. Well, maybe not all things since he kidnapped them over a simple suspicion, but ever since then he'd been very thorough in ensuring they had little to no chance at escape. Which meant he probably wouldn't risk letting them see wherever he planned on hiding out. After all, he probably knew that the instant it's realized that a fleeing criminal had kidnapped an officer, any ways to escape would be swarmed with police.

The man would probably decide to lay low for a while. At least that was what Takagi hoped. It would give them more time to escape, and give Satou and the others more time to find them. Thinking about the earlier conversation, not that it was much of a conversation with one of the two people gagged, the police detective realized it kind of sounded like he was expecting to hold them for a long period of time. After all 'depends on how well you two behave' didn't sound like he'd have them for a few moments after they regained consciousness. To be fair, it didn't necessarily mean he was planning on hiding them forever either, but it was a possibility.

If he was going to some secret hideout to lay low, he would try to keep either of his captives from seeing it. He probably would ever try to keep them from knowing where it really was at all. The only problem was, how was he going to accomplish that? At that moment, the car stopped for a red light, and he detective got his answer. No longer having to concentrate on driving, Itoumo's gun wielding hand shot behind him and struck Takagi in nearly the same spot as earlier, once again knocking him out. Takagi had the time to think to himself _I guess that works, _before the darkness overtook him completely.

Just to let everyone know, no I do not sit around thinking about ways to tie someone up and then hide it. My friend had her hands in her hoodie and it suddenly occurred to me that her hands could be tied together and I'd have no Idea. This was right before a softball game and I always sat the bench so I had a lot of time to come up with the other ways... which I guess means I did sit around imagining how to hide someone being tied up... oh well it was fun.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi. I was sick this week so here comes an early chapter! Just to warn people, Takagi is kind of unconscious right now, so we have a POV change. I hope it doesn't confuse anyone, I know it confused me writing it.

By the way, do you think that if someone was was kidnapped and talking about their kidnapper they would use honorifics? If anyone knows or has a guess please tell me in a comment.

Disclaimer: Same as the first two chapters.

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Conan would've gasped when the man struck Takagi had the tape not been in place. He wasn't surprised that Itoumo hit him, Conan's thoughts were much the same as the officer's if not a step ahead, but he was shocked at the man's skill. He'd managed to deliver a blow hard enough to knock the man out without seeming to do any extreme damage, and was facing forward in time to go when the light changed. This confirmed his slight suspicion that the man hadn't truly been losing control of his car earlier.

He seemed to be so perfectly in control that he was incomparable with the driver who easily got distracted earlier. As far as the small sleuth was concerned, there were two likely reasons for the reckless driving, both centered on him wanting the traffic cop to see him. He could either be trying to lead a false trail, or trying to determine if anyone noticed that the two had disappeared. Conan didn't have much time to think about it though. He gulped as he saw the light in front of them change to yellow, his eyes straying to the hand still gripping the gun. The man noticed his look and smirked down at the boy.

"Don't worry brat. Your head's safe." As if just to contradict himself, the man reached over and ruffled Conan's hair. The detective scowled and instinctively rose his hands to smooth it back, but the sweater prevented him. "I don't think I could be as gentle as to hit someone young as you twice without seriously injuring you, or worse. Your tiny head is fragile." He continued in a mocking tone. "Of course, if I have too I won't hesitate to hit you. Whatever the outcome of that is..." He shrugged, "I still have another hostage. It won't make much difference to me. So I know you're gonna behave. Right kid?"

Conan did the only thing he really could at the moment and nodded. His head was still throbbing from when the man had knocked him out earlier, and he didn't know if his little kid body could handle another attack like that. It was just one more complication of that drug. Now, whether or not he could use the situation to his advantage... well that was yet to been seen. The man suddenly pulled into a driveway and made a U- turn, reminding Conan of his earlier 'false trail' theory. In all likelihood however the man had been doing both. It wasn't long before the kidnapper spoke again.

"Alright kid, unless you want to be like your friend back there, you are going to close your eyes. You aren't going to open them until I say it's okay. Not when I stop the car, not when I turn it off. Only when I tell you. Got it?" Conan nodded obediently. Sneaking a look out the window as he did so and noticing a street sigh. Lucky! He knew this area, he couldn't actively escape but perhaps he could... "Then do it."

Conan's eyes snapped shut. but if anything his mind only worked faster. Noting any change in speed and memorizing every turn, Conan had a mental map when the car began to slow. He nearly opened his eyes in reflex when the vehicle stopped and the car turned off. Itoumo was silent for a moment, as if he was checking the area. From behind him Conan could hear the grating of a garage door closing.

"Fine, you can open them."

The pint-sized private eye did so, but if he was expecting to find any clues he was sorely disappointed. The garage they'd arrived at was as empty as the car had been. Itoumo leaned over and checked the ropes tying Conan's legs to the seat, giving them a firm tug then smiling when they refused to loosen. Once he was satisfied that the ropes weren't going anywhere he turned back to the unconscious Takagi. Seeing the man's still closed eyes, Itoumo opened the door and got out of the car. He smirked back at Conan before he shut the door. "I'd tell you to stay here, but you don't have much of a choice in the matter do you?" With a laugh he slammed the door and walked hurriedly into the house the garage was connected to.

Not wasting a moment, Conan bent down until he hung over the seat, his hands coming out of the hoodie pocket as he did so. They were still tied together at the wrists, but his actual hands were free. Quickly he began attempting to untie the knots Itoumo had been checking only moments before, working on freeing himself. He had but a moment though, and he'd barely gotten anywhere when the sound of footsteps neared the garage.

Itoumo entered a second later, coming in just as Conan got in an upright position. Opening the back door of the car, he glanced at the boy in front, but otherwise paid him no mind. He threw off the blanket covering the tan officer and undid the seatbelt that kept him on the seat. He then drug the detective out and threw him over his shoulder, staggering a little as he carried the man. Itoumo wasn't a mild man, but he wasn't extremely big or strong either. Luckily for the man Takagi was rather fit and therefore light despite his height. Still the kidnapper struggled slightly as he carted the detective to the door.

Once again Conan went to work on freeing his feet. This time the man took a slightly longer time, and the boy was nearly freed. Before he'd completely escaped he heard footsteps, but this time he didn't bother to look up or stop. After all, Itoumo was probably coming for him anyway and at that point there was no way that his escape attempt would escape the man's notice. Conan could only hope he was able to get out in time. Well... so much for hope.

The man was there in an instant, running as soon as he entered the garage and saw what his captive was doing. Conan instinctively froze when the door next to him was flung open. With a frightened gulp he looked up to meet the eyes of a man who suddenly seemed much stronger than he had before. Itoumo said nothing; his face raging with fury, he rose his hand. Conan had no time to brace himself before the crushing blow came, smashing into his face. He cried out a muffle yell of pain as the blow knocked him into the space between the passenger's seat and driver's, his loosened bindings coming undone at the man's harsh blow.

The child winced as his kidnapper leaned over and picked him up. In a fruitless escape attempt, Conan struggled slightly in Itoumo's arms. In reply the man simply laid his knuckles against the already forming bruise on the boy's cheek. Conan got the point, knowing he wouldn't gotten far anyway for his legs, though freed from the car, were still tied together. A large hand covered his eyes and the shrunken teen felt the far too familiar feeling of being carried. As they walked into the house Conan suddenly realized he was facing what may be his last chance to escape. He had no clue where he was going or what this man had planned for him. With one hand supporting the child's weight and the other covering his eyes, Itoumo couldn't threaten Conan like he did before. Sure, once he got wherever they were headed the man could do anything, but that was assuming he got there with the child in tow. Conan hoped he'd loosened the rope around his feet when he tried to untie himself from the car earlier, he knew he wouldn't get far otherwise. Still, he was determined to take the chance. Without warning Conan struck out, shooting out all of his limbs at the same time, quickly turning before his captor's hold could re-tighten. Itoumo's grip faltered, but he never lost hold completely.

Suddenly Conan felt the choppy motions of someone walking down stairs, and with a strange twist of the Itoumo's shoulders the young detective heard the click of a door closing. A flood of bright light told of the hand moving off Conan's eyes. The teen-child looked fearfully into the eyes of his captor, and saw the fury there. He gulped as the man spoke.

"Wrong move, brat. I was prepared to forgive you the first time, but a second..." Itoumo stood glaring at the seven year old. He looked down at the falling stairs and leered. "Well kid, consider this a warning. Also, consider it the only one you're going to get."

With one fluid motion the arm that held Conan curled around, bending until it matched the position of a thrower. Conan felt shock as he recognized the man's position from several attacks from Mouri. He looked down the deep concrete stairwell, noting the hard ground far below. With a grunt of exertion the man threw the child, sending him flying over the stairs until, with a clang, the boy collided with a mesh door. Conan lay still, both the shock of the pain and his bindings making it impossible for him to move. Also, there was nowhere to go. The mesh wall at his back and concrete on either side, the only place to go was up the stairwell Itoumo was leisurely walking down. Once the man finally reached the prone boy, he crouched to the child's level before speaking in a low, menacing voice. "Remember brat, that was just a warning." He then shot out a hand and grabbed his captive once again, rising as he did so. Once the child was firmly in his hands he opened the door Conan collided with. As he did so Conan studied the it, for Itoumo had the boy facing in a way that squished his face into the man's chest and Conan could see little other than the man's shirt and the door.

He found it not unlike that of a dog kennel, large diamond shaped rings of metal all conjoined together, except near the lock where much smaller link were place so that ones fingers couldn't get near the lock to pick it. The door reached from the ceiling to the floor and had two locks on it, a normal built-in lock, and a padlock. As he studied the door, Conan's heart quickened, it was a place _designed_ for trapping humans. No mere animal would need half the security the door had. Even the mesh made sense as opposed to a normal door. He didn't look at the time, but at the top of the stairs you could probably see through the door into the entire holding cell. It was no longer a mystery as to why the man seemed so good at capturing them, making up lies, and hiding their bonds from the traffic officer. It could be seen by just the door that he was a professional.

Itoumo walked in, not bothering to lock or even shut the door when he was the only one who could even move. He knelt down and Conan was turned around and set on the floor, the new position allowing him to see the rest of the room. It was bigger than he thought it would be, one wall a continuation of the hallway while the other went out and expanded the room. However, a diagonal wall stretched from the cell door to about the middle of the room, the detective guessed it was to keep anyone from hiding against the wall. It was still fairly small, and very sparse. Containing a bunk bed and a toilet with a sink built into it's tank, the room had little furnishing but a good amount of standing room. In addition to the little furniture, the room itself wasn't much to look out. Made of concrete on all sides and no windows, the only way out came through the double locked door Conan had just been through. It was lit by a single bare bulb, so high that even on Takagi's shoulders Conan couldn't reach it. The switch wasn't in the cell either, glancing over his shoulder Conan thought he could see it at the top of the steps.

Another thing that added to the dreariness of the room were the two support beams in it's center, one of which Itoumo was crouched next to. The rope which tied Conan to the car was still attached to his legs, and Itoumo was using it to tie the child to the beam. Conan shifted slightly, not really struggling though he received a quick glance from his captor, trying to better see the bunk bed behind the man crouched in front of him. Itoumo had laid Takagi out on the bottom bunk and the detective, now awake, was looking worriedly at the boy. It was obvious he wanted to play the part of the brave cop and comfort the child, but bound and gagged he was unable to. Just as said child was unable to show him that he understood.

Finished tying the knots, though Conan noticed they were much more loose than earlier, Itoumo stood and surveyed the room while pulling out his cell phone. After he seemed satisfied he opened the phone, pressing button then staring at the screen intently. After a moment of this he looked to a corner of the room. Following his vision the others in the room saw a camera in the corner, high out of reach and protected by the same chain link mesh as the door. Itoumo walked over to it and stuck his fingers between the holes in the mesh, wiping off the dust covering the lens. Once the dust was gone he once again looked at the device in his hand. Itoumo nodded as he closed the phone and put it in his pocket before taking something else out.

If Conan's blood froze as the man's wrist flicked out, revealing the long, thin blade of a knife, then it was at absolute zero when he turned and started walking to him. The child tried desperately to scoot away as the fiend advanced, the ropes hindering him from any significant movement. The rope bit into his leg as he reached the end of his leash, not nearly far enough away. A sicking grin flashed upon the man's face as he savored the child's fear.

With no where to go, Conan's thought went to hyper drive. The man had seemed professional earlier, not like a person who tortured for fun, but the crazed look he held now ruined that thought. Conan's cheek throbbed and he wondered if this was another way of Itoumo punishing him for trying to escape. He heard a shuffling and saw Takagi moving frantically on the bed, eyes wide with fear for the child. Perhaps it was aimed at scaring Takagi. Maybe he wanted police information, and was showing he was willing to hurt Conan to make the cop squeal.

Not that reason really mattered at that moment, as Itoumo knelt beside the squirming but trapped boy. With the free hand he reached out slowly, his eyes lighting in delight as Conan attempted to squirm away. His large hand grabbed one of the child's arms, tugging at it until two tiny hands emerged from the hoodie pocket. Knowing that struggling was useless, Conan froze in horror as the knife neared his hands. It all made sense now, as punishment for trying to escape the man would wound the fingers that attempted to untie the knots. The boy's mouth dried as the weapon neared his unprotected flesh, only to watch in numb disbelief when it sliced cleanly through the ropes, not even glancing upon his skin.

Itoumo smirked at the child's blank and confused face staring at his freed hands. After a moment of simply staring, the child lowered his hands to his feet and began untying his legs slowly. Itoumo's smirk widened and Conan began to work at a quicker rate. As he watched the boy, Itoumo's smirk continued to deepen until it came out in a short bark of a laugh. "Ha!" The captor turned and leisurely walked out of the room, knowing he had plenty of time before the boy freed himself enough to attempt to follow. Conan inwardly shuddered as the felon locked the door, remembering the look in his eyes as the man stood over him with the knife. He hadn't actually hurt the boy, but his delight at seeing the child's terror was genuine. As he continued to dismantle the knots, Conan couldn't decide if he was dealing with a pro or a psycho. Probably a little of both.


	4. Chapter 4

Hi people! Thanks to everyone who favorited and alerted me! Just to let people know, I love comments and would really like to know what me readers like and don't. Thank you everyone who has commented so far!

This is kinda random, but I want to say that my school did Willy Wonka for the school play and I noticed something. Mike T.V is an obsessive and arrogant know-it-all who gets **shrunk** because he did something stupid and ended up using something that hadn't been tested by humans... sounds familiar, no? If anyone gets the idea to write a parody cause of this go ahead, but please tell me! I just can't think of what the other characters would be. Other than Genta as Agustus of course. (P.S I was Agustus's mother it the play, it was awesome!)

Disclaimer: I do not own.

* * *

Takagi watched as Conan leaned back on his hands behind him. It looked like he finally got the last knot untied. Almost immediately the boy tore off the mask and duck tape, breathing a sigh of relief as he did so. After a second or two of reveling in his relative freedom, the young detective stood and walked to the bound man. He began to ungag him, taking the mask off quickly then slowly tugging on the tape.

"Are you okay, Takagi-keiji?" He asked as the tape was completely removed.

"I'm fine Conan-kun, what about you?" Takagi inquired, his eyes flitting over the child's whole body before settling on the hands the knife had come so close to. Takagi felt a felt a flash of irony and guilt. Conan the seven year-old after being thrown down the stairs and scared to death with a knife was asking about the well being of him, a cop. If it had been anyone other than Conan with him, Takagi knew things would be so much worse.

"I'm fine." The boy replied, climbing over the officer to get to the hands tied behind him.

"Are you sure?" Takagi wasn't going to let him get away with a thoughtless answer, he was genuinely concerned for the genius child. Takagi couldn't see Conan, but the fingers untying the ropes around his wrists stopped for a moment, and he could sense the boy's eyes in the back of his head. A moment later though the fingers continued and Conan spoke.

"It's okay, just a few bumps and bruises. Oji-san throws me all the time. Not usually that hard, but I'm used to it now. That knife was really scary though!" Takagi inwardly sighed as Conan's voice rose to what the tan officer dubbed the 'little boy' voice. Oh well, at least the answer had seemed genuine. One thing was still bothering him though.

"What happened to your cheek?" It looked terrible, the whole left side of his face was a huge yellow and green bruise.

"Hm?" Conan mumbled, then let out a sharp intake of air as though in pain. He couldn't see the boy, but the detective could picture him lightly fingering his face. "Oh, this. When we first got here he parked in a garage and went into the house alone, then later he came back and carried you in. I was alone in the car so I tried to untie myself. Needless to say I couldn't get it in time. He wasn't exactly happy."

"Is that why he threw you down the stairs too?"

"No, that was for struggling when he carried me from the garage to the house. Wow these knots are tight." Takagi winced as his arms were pulled back, the unnatural angle they were already at increased.

"Sorry," Conan mumbled, "I think I almost got it though... there!" The officer sighed in relief as the ropes fell from his hands. Rubbing his sore wrists he pushed himself into a sitting position. Conan was flexing his fingers gingerly, as though they were sore from untying the complex knots. Wincing slightly in sympathy, the officer folded his knees until his ankles were close enough for him to untie. The man's eyebrows rose as he saw the intricacy of the knot and he glanced at the oblivious Conan. Apparently that was one more aspect of the mystery of Conan Edogawa. Of course there could be a perfectly reasonable answer for his untying talent. Maybe he was a boy scout. Sure, that was it... yeah right.

Shaking his head, Takagi started working at the ties. Conan meanwhile hopped off of the bed and stared exploring the room, not that there was much. The only thing that one wouldn't notice at first glace was the small door in the real one. Just four or five inches tall and about a foot long, someone could send food or small items through it, but it provided little in way of escape. Especially because it was locked tight. There were also some cups on the sink, Takagi guessed that would be there source of water until Itoumo did whatever he was planning or they escaped. Finally he was able to untie the knots and he stood to join the child with his survey. Immediately his head erupted in pain and he rose a hand to it as he sat back down. For a moment he considered giving Itoumo access to his bank account to get him to buy some chloroform and save the cop from head trauma, but ultimately decided against it.

"Takagi-keiji, are you okay?" Conan asked and the officer looked at him blearily.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just a headache from earlier. Speaking of which, what happened while I was out?"

"He didn't knock me out because he didn't think he could hit me again without causing some head damage but he made me close my eyes. I think I have a pretty good idea of where we are, not an exact address though. I'm pretty sure we're in a western style house near the big department store on Kosho Kaido. Before he made me close my eyes I saw we were on that road and he went consistently between 45 and 50 MPH. I knew would be the busiest place somewhere out of the way like this, so I listened until I heard a lot of noise. I had an idea where we were before that, but it helped to cement it. We stayed on the road for three more minutes, which would be about two and a half miles and turned left. There aren't many left turns on this road so I'm pretty sure the road is pretty accurate. The garage, the fact that it connected to the house, and the position of the basement are all most commonly seen in western style houses."

"I see." Suddenly Conan's eyes widened, and Takagi decided to say something before the pint-sized private-eye started talking about some phoney TV program or something. "We can't do much with that unless we find some way to communicate with someone. I don't suppose he forgot to grab you detective's badge." The boy was already shaking his head.

"He took everything but my glasses. I don't even think we'd get a signal in a room like this anyway. Itoumo-san did, but I think he was getting it from the security camera anyway. He's probably watching us right now."

"Maybe he can see us but he can't hear us. I know a little about this model," Takagi said, glad he could finally say something intelligent. The fact that he knew about it because he'd found the owner's manual on a seat on the bus the other day when he was bored meant nothing, nope nothing at all. "It's purely visual, but is has nearly perfect night vision. It also has a wide range and can probably show the entire room from that position. If he has the right TV it can even be in HD."

"Wow Takagi-keiji! You know a lot!" Takagi laughed embarrassed and rubbed his head. Nope, it meant nothing at all. "This guy really thought of everything didn't he?" Conan continued, in a slightly more serious tone. Takagi sobered as well.

"Yes, a real professional. He's been planning it too, or he was worried that something like this may happen."

"Or," Conan began in what Takagi would call full elevator mode, "He's not working alone. He's part of something bigger."

The elder detective nodded, he felt uneasy but confessed to Conan a theory he'd been holding for a long time, but had too little proof to actually tell anyone. For the past few months strange cases would happen; a serial killer, long gone and often even considered a completely cold case, with a strange MO would kill someone. Or at least someone would use their MO. They were rarely caught so no one knew if all of the murders were done by the originals. There was only one murder replicating any one serial killer, then it seemed as if they disappeared once again. It happened once, maybe twice a month. Not nearly often enough for many people to notice, in fact Takagi could have been the only one who had. Yet he knew if there was anyone else who would have noticed it would be Conan.

"Have you noticed that it seems as though a bunch of serial killers who were never caught are suddenly murdering again? Only one victim, then they disappear."

Conan nodded, his serious gaze showing Takagi that they had the same thoughts about the nearly unnoticed similarities in the crimes. Takagi, glad that his idea was supported by the brilliant mind, continued.

"I think they may be connected. A group replicating the crimes of people who got away. Perhaps honoring their memory or perhaps hoping that by recreating the scenes of killers not found they would be able to escape the law themselves when planning their own crimes. I think Itoumo-san is one of them."

That would also explain why the seemingly professional criminal had "panicked" and kidnapped them just because they came to question him. That had never sat right with the detective. In the car he'd doubted that his theory was true, the man's speech making it seem as nothing more than a normal kidnapping, but the man could have been bluffing in case the two escaped. That way they wouldn't know about the group, and he would be questioned as if he were acting alone. He seemed to be hiding his professionalism even less now that they were in the cage, as if he were so confident that they wouldn't be able to escape that he could tell them his whole plan and it wouldn't matter. Takagi was almost sure that this man was a member of his theorized group.

Conan stared back at him as serious as though he were signing Takagi's death warrant. Suddenly the man was very afraid of what was on the genius-child's mind. "Ne, Takagi-keiji," The boy began, somber eyes boring into the man. "Do you remember eight years ago, there was that serial killer who kidnapped police officers. They would go missing for a week, then suddenly appear on the police station roof. They were in their uniforms, handcuffed with there own handcuffs, shot through the head with their own guns, and branded with their badges right over the heart. He was never caught."

Takagi's heart went cold as he remembered the incident. He'd still been in training at the time, not yet an actual officer though he was certain that was what he wanted to be. He remembered how his drive to join the force had faltered and his family tried to make him choose a different career as the headlines were swarmed with the officer murders. He'd stuck with it though, and eventually the murders stopped, though no one knew why for the man was never caught. Throat too dry to actually say anything, the officer nodded slowly. Conan's hands bunched into fists as his gaze locked onto the floor. "And Little kids go missing all the time, and the culprits are never found. A lot of the time, neither are the kids."

"W- well they probably won't do anything to you before me." The officer offered weakly, without offering any explanation as to why that would be so. Probably because there wasn't any. One could call it a gut feeling, an officers intuition, hope and a need to comfort a child, whichever one worked. Neither of the two believed it was necessarily true, but Conan smiled up weakly.

"Yeah, you're probably right." The two lapsed into silence and Takagi surveyed the seemingly inescapable room. "So, we have a week."

Looking at the older man in surprise, Conan's face turned into a grin to rival Kid, light glaring from his glasses and hiding his eyes.

"More than enough time to figure something out."


	5. Chapter 5

Wow, thank you so much for all of the reviews. Some of them COMPLETELY made my week! There was a question about Hattori and Kid and I'm sorry to say I don;t plan on them having big parts in this story. Hattori will probably show up just because I can't imagine Ran not calling for his help, and I can't imagine him not jumping on the first plane possible once he knows Kudos in danger. He won't have a major part though, I want this to be mostly about the normal police force actually solving a case for themselves, or at least mostly for themselves. I am planning another story where they'll have a major part, but that will be after I finish this one.

So, thanks again for all of the reviews, alerts, and favorites. Nothing excites me more than going onto my email and finding stuff from . A lot of them really cheered me up and boosted my ego, so thanks keep on reviewing.

DIsclaimer: As I said in the last four chapters, I don't own.

Ohh, POV change! Find out whats hapening back at the station.

* * *

Satou glanced at the clock what felt like the millionth time in the past half- hour. Where was Takagi? Sure he wasn't exactly late yet, but he should have called by now with _some_ news. Even Megure was starting to seem anxious. He'd asked three times if there had been any news, and he was watching the clock as well. His fingers fumbled over his notebook as he struggled to sort through the notes Takagi would've written so efficiently.

She sighed, checking the clock again. That was it, she was calling him. If the only news he had was that there wasn't any, it would be worth it to know his status and get him back to the station. Especially because Conan had gone with him, the child had a knack for noticing small details. At the time it'd seemed good for the child to go and observe the interviews of the witnesses, but it left the main investigation without him. It didn't help that Ran had been out shopping and Kogoro was sitting in a corner drunk. She snapped open her phone, calling the number on speed dial, huffing in impatience when the she heard the familiar voice mail. Turning slightly, she saw a hopeful Megure looking at her, just as news hungry as she was. She shook her head and the inspector turned back to the scene, and Satou quickly did the same.

* * *

Where WAS he? It'd been an hour since the female officer tried to call him, and there was still no news. By now he really was late. She whipped out her phone and once again tried to call, worry finally seeping into her professionalism. The worry only increased when she once again received no answer from the man. Angry and worried she simply stared at her phone a moment, absentmindedly pushing buttons as she thought. Suddenly her finger stopped. Of course! She felt stupid now for not thinking of it immediately. Satou pressed the call button, and a picture of Conan covered her screen as she called him. Her worry reached an even greater height when his phone led her to a voice mail as well. The talented officer walked over to Megure, seeing impatience and slight worry on his face as well.

"Sir, I can't reach either Takagi-kun or Conan-kun. I've tried calling both, and neither would answer their phones."

"They should be here by now. Do you want to go find them, its not like were doing much good around here anyway."

It was true, they'd done all they could without the information Takagi had gone out to ask.

"Right. If there are any who they haven't reached yet, I'll send them down to the station."

"Sounds good. They should be almost done though, start at the end and work back."

"Yes sir!" She saluted and rushed out the door, worry abating now that she was doing something about it.

* * *

Satou gripped the steering wheel as her car peeled out of the apartment's driveway. Fear mixing with worry and churning in her stomach. She had followed the inspectors advice and started at the last house Takagi was expected to go to, only to be told he hadn't shown yet. Five houses later, she was irritated with him for taking so long when he'd gone to so few houses. For the next few houses the irritation increased until five later it started to turn into worry. Now here she was driving away from the sixteenth house out of twenty-two, and the people there hadn't seen him either. That meant in the hours that he'd been gone he only went to six houses or less. That was inconceivable! Still, thinking that he was just late was easier than worrying if he was okay.

She pulled up to park at the gate of the next house, leaning out of the car she went to press the intercom button to ask the owner to unlock the gate. As she leaned, she saw that the gate itself was slightly open. That was odd, but she went ahead and pressed the button to inform the owner of her presence.

"Hello?" She called. "This is Satou Miwako of the Beika Police department, I have some questions for you." For a moment there was silence. She pressed it again.

"Hello? Itoumo-San?" Still nothing. She saw the open gate and began to wonder if Takagi had come through and they were talking. Perhaps they were deep in conversation and couldn't hear the buzzer. In that case she had to go in and find out what was taking so long yet wasn't important enough for Takagi to call her about. Getting out of her car she opened the gate fully, then got back in and drove through. Stopping as she reached the house she noticed that all the lights were off, it looked totally empty. Still she knocked on the door, calling out in a loud voice.

"Hello? Itoumo-san? Are you here?" Nothing, he wasn't home. Sighing she returned to her car, resolving to go to the next house and come back later.

As she started toward the next house, the cop struggled to bite down her rising panic. She could think of very few reasons for his disappearance that didn't directly put him in a place of danger. There was little she could do about it now when she still had no clue just what had happened to her partner. That's right partner. This panic had absolutely nothing to do with weather or not she liked the sweet, shy, reliable officer. No, not at all... right. There was the next house. Pulling up and knocking on the door, she called out to the people inside, "Hello, this is Satou Miwako from the Beika Police Department . I have some questions for you."

"O-okay. I'll be right there." Satou sighed when she heard the slightly confused tone she'd already heard sixteen times. Looks like this was going to be another waste of time. The door opened and a woman slightly older than the officer came out.

"Hello, how may I help you?"

"Where you approached earlier by an officer named Takagi Wataru to discuss a murder case?"

"I think so. The tan officer with a small child with him, right?"

"Yes! So you've seen him?"

"Yes, but... that was hours ago. Around noon I think." It was five now, and no one she'd talked to had seen him since this woman had. If it was noon then that meant he was on schedule when he met her, so what had happened?

"Did he do or say anything strange? Especially right before leaving?"

"Other than the child not really. Why, what happened?"

"What was so strange about the child?"

The woman shrugged, "Nothing really, you just don't expect a little kid to tag along on a police investigation. I know I would never let my children do anything that dangerous. It was kind of weird that he seemed to be doing just as much investigation as the actual officer too. They didn't really do anything really unusual though."

Satou frowned, not much help there. Still, it was helpful to get a time on his disappearance.

"Thank you for your time."

"Wait! What happened?"

"Hopefully nothing."

* * *

Satou pulled back into Itoumo's driveway. Takagi was on schedule before this house, and wasn't seen after it. She had to know if Itoumo saw him or not and at what time. What if they went out to lunch and got into trouble there? Then she would have no leads. The officer whipped out phone and called her partner once again, groaning as the rings showed no sign of stopping. Moving the device away from her ear, she heard a faint, faint noise coming from the house. It was a constant ringing, almost like a... a cell phone! Suddenly it stopped, at the exact same time as her phone went to voice mail. Calling again she heard the noise restart. Drawing her gun and keeping the connecting phone open in her pocket the woman slowly approached the house. Knocking on the door loudly she called in her most cop-like voice. "Open the door! This is the police!"

Still nothing. Satou was slightly concerned that she was overreacting due to her worry, but her gut was telling her she was doing the right thing and she paid no attention to that concern and rammed down the door. The only noise was a slightly louder ringing as she entered the empty house. The officer followed the noise, occasionally redialing, until it led her to a living room closet. Opening the door the woman saw that the ringing was coming from a large plastic box. Her heartbeat quickened as she opened the box, revealing the contents. Stopping completely when she saw two suits, one for an adult and one much smaller, a familiar bow-tie, shoes, police notebook, watch, and still ringing cell phone. The owners of the items nowhere to be seen.


	6. Chapter 6

Anyone ever write anything, start to go into the zone, then look back on what you wrote and say 'where did that come from?'. Well that happens to me a lot, and I usually just keep it cause it ends up being interesting. That happened a couple times in this chapter, tell me what you think of some of the plot twists. Oh, and thank you all who reviewed, commented, or favorited. Nothing starts off a good day like opening my email and finding a bunch of emails from fanfiction.

I probably won't be able to post anything next week because I'll be studying for finals, but should be back the Thursday after next, so June 7.

Yes Neyane you can translate it to French. You have no clue how exited I am that you want to, I think thats awesome!

Disclaimer: If there is ever any change in whether or not I own DC, I'll let you know

* * *

Takagi looked up as the subtle shaking of the bed quickened. Conan sat above him on the top bunk furiously kicking his legs, his eyes distant and lost in thought. As the man watched he could almost picture a soccer ball bouncing on the child's feet. The boy seemed to think best when his legs were busy. The few times he was not in the middle of an investigation one could often see him juggling a ball in a corner of the room, a look of intense concentration on his face. It really was incredible; the boy's skill with the ball was unmatched by people twice his age. Then again it was hardly the most impressive thing about the diminutive detective.

They would need all of the boy's massive brainpower to escape too. They'd searched the place top to bottom for a way to get out, but everything just seemed to make escape seem more impossible. Whoever had made the room was incredibly thorough, even the beds had security methods built in. They were welded to the floor and wall and the mattresses were sewn into the frames. The water cups were of no help either, made completely of metal they couldn't be broken or twisted into something useful. The only things they had were the ropes and the blankets from the beds. The only option Takagi could see at the moment was overpowering Itoumo and tying him up, but with the toilet, water, and small door for getting food, there was little reason for the kidnapper to ever enter the room. Perhaps if one of the two feigned injury, but there was no way to be sure he'd come in even then.

It felt like they'd been there for hours, though with no clocks or windows there was no way to tell the actual time. A low growling sounded and Takagi sighed. He was so hungry. He and Conan were planning to stop for lunch _after_ talking with Itoumo, and he hadn't eaten since his small breakfast. Conan was probably just as hungry, though knowing Ran's cooking his breakfast had probably been bigger. Speaking of the boy, his movement had completely stopped, his eyes quickly darting from left to right.

"Did you hear that?" He whispered as though expecting a pack of wild dogs to attack at any moment. Takagi's face flushed red in embarrassment.

"Ah, sorry Conan-kun. That was me." For a moment Conan simply stared at him, chuckling slightly when he realized what the man was saying. The laughter only lasted a moment however, before a loud growl sounded from the child's stomach as well. Now it was Takagi's turn to laugh as the other blushed. Conan started chuckling with the man after a moment, both were happy to find something entertaining after the time of boredom and monotony that had come once they'd finished surveying the room.

The laughter was cut short when the door at the top of the stairs was suddenly opened, and the sound of two sets of footprints were heard. The two detectives turned to the noise, and saw Itoumo walking with a man neither had seen before, the former holding a tray in each of his hands. Takagi rose to his feet, instinctively standing in front of Conan as though to shield the child from the men. Turning slightly he picked the boy up and moved him from the top bunk to the bottom one, though he made sure to remain in front of the smaller detective.

The two criminals stopped when they reached the door. Itoumo knelt and began to unlock the smaller door while the other man simply stood staring at the captives inside the cage. Takagi bit back a shiver under the mans gaze. The stranger studied them critically, as though they were lab rats he was checking for impurities. Yet underlying that was a hunger and a manic drive. Takagi felt sure at that moment that their suspicion about the group replicating murderers was correct and he was looking at the ringleader. A glance at Conan's stone-like face showed that his thoughts were the same.

Finally Itoumo managed to unlock the small door, and he quickly slid the two trays in the small opening. Takagi lent forward to see what they were, and he felt small hands on his legs as Conan peered around him to look as well. They were store bought pre-made lunch boxes. Day old lunch boxes. Oh yum. Not that that really mattered at the moment to the two hungry captives. They weren't really eager to go closer to the door where food was though, not with the other man's penetrating gaze.

"Hurry up!" Itoumo snapped, "We don't have all day."

Spurred into action, Takagi stepped forward and grabbed both the trays, bringing them back to the bed where Conan still sat.

"I could have got my own." The small sleuth grumbled slightly.

"I know," Takagi mumbled back, " but I don't want you any closer to that guy than necessary. He creeps me out." Conan looked back towards the stranger, then nodded in agreement; he was creepy. The two wasted no time in devouring the food, but their minds never strayed from escape. As he ate Conan discretely slipped his fork under the blankets, and Takagi hid a knife in his sleeve. The two felons seemed not to notice. The food was gone in no time, and as the captives were eating their last bites, Itoumo's voice shout out commands from across the room.

"Put the empty boxes inside each other, and bring them over here." The two complied, putting the silverware in the bottom container to hide that some was missing. Takagi rose to follow the rest of the instructions, picking up the boxes as he did so. BANG! The two captives yelped as a shot rang out, the bullet slicing the area between them. They looked to the two men in shock, seeing the smoking form of a pistol in the strange man's hand.

"I think you should return the utensils you took, unless you want things to go badly." The man's voice was gravely and rough, sounding like a growl rather than a human voice. The two in the cell shivered slightly at its sound, but found themselves unable to do anything but obey what it asked. With the now fully stocked boxes in hand, Takagi once again rose to bring them to the men. BANG! BANG! This time the two let out short screams as the shots sounded, gripping their arms as the bullets skimmed them leaving shallow wounds.

"You didn't really think you get out of this without punishment did you? It's not much this time, just a small wound. Just consider it a warning. I promise you that next time it will be much worse."

Itoumo grumbled sulkily "I already gave the brat a warning."

The stranger looked at the battered child, "I can see that. But that was you own fault Tabby. You gave him too many opportunities, too much freedom. Had you knocked him out like you did the older one, he would have been unable to misbehave."

"B- but Lion I-"

The man, now known as Lion, help up one hand to silence him. "Later." He turned to the two captives, who were glaring at him as they gripped their wounds. "You're a cop, you should know how to dig up bullets. Get all of them and put them on the trays, then bring everything to me. No funny business. Remember, you're out of warnings."

Silently Takagi grabbed one of the plastic knives and began attempting to dig the bullets out of the concrete. From the corner of his eye he saw Conan pick up a knife as well to help, but a growl from the other side of the door stopped him.

"You stay put," came the gravelly voice of Lion. Itoumo, or Tabby, had gone silent in the presence of his superior. Conan grimaced slightly in anger at the patronizing attitude. Takagi's face twisted into a wry smile as well. Conan would probably do a better job at it than him, not that they would know.

He would make sure they didn't realize the child's brilliance. He didn't know why, but he felt that it held the utmost secrecy. It was as though it were a matter of life and death. He didn't know why he felt that way, perhaps it was a look in the boy's eyes. The fear when he messed up, the deadly serious gaze he sometimes had in cases, cases that were not nearly as serious as his manner displayed. Sometimes it was as if he knew something they didn't. As if there was an invisible hand in some cases only he could see. The officer had often suspected that the boy had a hidden agenda; that he was after something no one else would understand. Something he would never tell. A secret as well protected and as important as the one Takagi had actually asked in the elevator so many cases ago. Despite his watch, the detective often felt he was no closer to the truth behind the secrets than he was in the elevator.

He sighed silently as he dropped the bullets onto the trays, hearing the clank of the heavy metal against the thin plastic. These men were thorough, he'd give them that. Not even letting the used bullets remain in the cell with them. What could they have used them for? Once used the bullets would practically be useless. Which would mean he shouldn't be upset at having to return them, but his desperation was making things seem worse than they were. He lifted up the tray to bring it to the men, knowing he was now out of options, but froze when the rough voice stopped him.

"Stop. Not you, the child has to bring it to us. You stay where you are."

Takagi didn't like it, not one bit. He knew that intellectually Conan was beyond his years, but he was still a child. Looking at the boy's form Takagi was struck with how completely defenseless he was. The men wouldn't make him do it for no reason would they? Not when they'd been content with Takagi doing everything else. Conan took the trays from the other prisoner's hand, his face grim and thoughts obviously the same as Takagi's. Still neither could see a way out of it. Takagi gulped as he watched Conan slowly carry the trays. They were named after cats after all, and cats were notorious for playing with their prey. Perhaps this was to scare them, nothing more. He watched the child's small and unprotected form grow ever nearer to the monsters who'd kidnapped them and wished he could believe it.

The men both knelt to their knees as Conan neared the door, Itoumo holding the small gate open while Lion was waiting to retrieve the boxes. Conan paused for a moment, knowing something wasn't right. Earlier the man had done nothing to help his subordinate, letting Itoumo do all the work. Now he was on the floor waiting to take the trays. He was planning something, and the diminutive detective didn't want to find out what that something was. Not now when his gadgets were gone and the others were both armed. He continued his hesitation, but what could he do? They wouldn't let him weasel out of it... maybe if-

"Hurry up brat!" Itoumo snarled, "You're taking forever!" Lion glanced at the impatient man, but said nothing to contradict him, obviously losing patience himself. Conan's eyes hardened in resolution as he made the last few steps. He had no clue what the men had planned, but he couldn't avoid it, he'd just have to be ready.

Conan remained standing as he laid the boxes at the door of the gate. At a wordless gesture from Lion he gently pushed the trays through the opening. He tensed as the man reached out to pull the items all the way through, his eyes never leaving the fiend. Lion grabbed onto the edge of the trays and pulled it to him. Without warning Lion's hand shot out at lightning speed, latching on to the arm of the child in front of him. He pulled the child into the mesh just as he'd pulled the trays through it earlier.

"Conan-kun!" Takagi shouted in surprise from the bed, but Conan was already acting. His motions were quick and fluid, as if he'd been expecting this kind of attack. His free hand, still touching the tray, latched onto a fork. Stabbing the utensil into the arm that gripped him, the boy simultaneously leaned forward and sunk his teeth into the man's flesh. For a moment all was still, Conan biting and stabbing with all his might, Lion neither shaking the child off him nor releasing him.

Finally a snort of amusement broke the stillness. Conan slowly rose his eyes to see a smug smirk on his attackers face. The man slowly let go of the child's arm, making it clear that he was doing by his own choice, not because of anything the boy was doing. With no reason to keep his grip now that he was freed, Conan opened his mouth and released the the fork. He scrambled back a few feet, but instead of returning to the bed he simply stood out of reach of the gate and glared at the men. Lion's smirk grew.

"Interesting, Kitten. Very interesting." With that he turned and walked back up the stairs, leaving the trays and locking up to Itoumo.

With the man in charge gone Conan turned back to he beds, where Takagi was staring at the retreating figure of Lion in horror. The two remained silent until both men had left, though their thoughts were the same. As the door closed behind Tabby, the elder detective finally spoke, "Kitten. He called you Kitten."

They were cats, Lion and Tabby. They would be perfect codenames for those who mimicked the crimes of others, ideal for the copycats they were. They were cats, and they'd called Conan Kitten. For a moment he placed himself in the minds of their captors. They had just captured someone so intelligent, so deductive, so talented in legal matters that even at an extremely young age he'd been in the papers and knew nearly every detective in Japan by name. And they'd found him in the form of a child. A child was someone they could train. Someone they could control. Someone they could brainwash into becoming the monsters that they were. It wouldn't even go against their MO of copying past crimes. In view of the public it would just be a child kidnapping that was never solved where the child was never found. It happened all the time. Though, who's to say they even cared about that when they had someone like him, the perfect apprentice. He'd walked right into their laps.

At least, that's what they saw. Looking at the boy, his head bowed for he too had understood the implications of the name, Takagi knew they'd got it wrong. Conan would never stoop to the level of these murderers. The boy had a sense of justice that would rival any cop. They wouldn't find his so easy to brainwash either. Though young, Conan had a level of maturity to match most adults, and he had a stubborn streak a mile wide. His mind was set firmly in his sense of truth and justice. These copycats would never get the boy's alliance, never. Still, as Takagi glanced at the brilliant child the detective found he couldn't repress a shiver at the thought of being his enemy.

"Conan-kun," He called softly to the boy who hadn't moved since the men had left. Conan rose his head to meet the man's eyes. His eyes as deadly serious and grave as when he'd answered the question in the elevator.

"I'll never be their Kitten, Takagi-keiji. Never."

The cop brushed off that one fleeting second of doubt, and he looked earnestly into the child's eyes. "I know." That seemed to be what the child needed to hear, for a small smile flitted across his face. Then his face twisted into a look of irony.

"At least now we know they won't kill me before you." Takagi nodded. Sure they may take Conan away to train him or whatever it was they were going to do, but if that was their plan why didn't they separate them already? It made sense that they would stay together until Takagi's death in a week.

"So we have a week." The man responded. A week until they killed him. A week until they tried to train Conan. A week before their captivity ended and the nightmare began.

"More than enough time," Conan repeated his words from earlier, though they now lacked the confidence and power they possessed before.

Takagi shrugged slightly, wincing as the movements pulled at his wound. Now that the adrenalin was gone and they were, relatively, safe, the fire of the wound burned, insisting that it be taken care of. Conan suddenly clutched his arm as though seeing the detective's pain reminded him of his own. Takagi sighed and began to tear strips off of one of the blankets, Conan went over to the sink to fill one of the cups with the hottest water that he could get. Takagi gave him one of the strips and Conan gently dabbed at the wound with the cloth once he got it wet. Once the majority of the blood was wiped off, Takagi tied the cloth firmly to Conan's arm, realizing the boy couldn't do it himself because of its awkward position. After the makeshift bandage was secured, the cop began to clean his own wound, allowing Conan to tie his bandage.

The boy had just finished when the door at the top of the stairs opened once again and Itoumo leaned halfway into the room. His sneer was in his words as he called out to the captives.

"Sleep tight, you two. Sweet dreams." His hand hit the light switch and the two were immediately thrown into darkness. For a moment they simply sat silently as they adjusted to the abrupt lack of light, then Conan spoke. "I guess that means it's time for bed." Takagi nodded, not that either could see, and picked up the boy to put him on the top bunk he'd claimed earlier.

"Ne Takagi-keiji," Conan spoke once the two were each in their own bed. "Earlier when you talked about the security camera you said it had really good night vision, right?"

"Unfortunately yes. There's almost no difference between its night vision clarity and day vision clarity."

"Oh... darn."

"Yeah." The two rested into the silence of a sleepless, fear-filled night.


	7. Chapter 7

Hi I'm back! Finals were rough but I did really well. Thanks everyone who wished me luck. It's finally Summer! I don't know if I can update more now or not with work, family visiting, and volleyball practice. Sigh... This chapter's all ready though! Were gonna check in with the officers for a while now.

Just to let everyone know, this is pre-Sera and pre-Amuro, also Sabaru isn't going to be in it. I just don't know enough about any of their characters to write them well.

Thank you to everyone who commented! You wouldn't believe how many ideas you all give me, (I'm sure mostly without meaning to) and how much it makes me want to write!

Disclaimer: I dis-claim this.

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Satou Miwako gripped Takagi's notebook as she watched the officers survey the scene. Though the hope remained that they would find another clue, she knew that they'd found everything there was already. It wasn't much. Other than the box that held her boyfr-partner's, and Conan's clothes, they'd found evidence to convict Itoumo of the murder, though he was much too young to have committed the originals. They'd found Takagi's car parked behind the house, but there were no clues whatsoever pointing to where the man had taken his captives. No clue to anything about the man anywhere in the house. There was absolutely nothing.

She'd personally gone to question the neighbors, but they hadn't found much help there either. A lot of them were at home at the time, but they didn't see much. Apparently Takagi had parked on the side of the road then walked through the gate, Conan with him. The two had gone in, but no one saw what happened after that. A bunch of large trees hid the house from the road, so no one could see what happened after someone went past the gate. One of the neighbors said she saw Itoumo come out and drive the officer's car through the gate, only to drive out in his own car a few minutes later. The neighbor also said she thought she saw a bit of Conan's head through the window. Some others also claimed to see the man driving away with the child, but no one was sure which way he went. At first Satou was worried that no one seemed to have seen Takagi, but reasoned that if he was laid out on the back seat or floor of the car, no one would be able to see him from the outside.

She'd also been angry at first that no one had called in to report the suspicious behavior, but when she'd asked one of the neighbors about it they said they didn't think it was suspicious behavior at all. Because Takagi wasn't in any kind of uniform and was driving a normal car nobody knew that he was an officer. It didn't help that he had Conan with him. Everyone though it was just a man and his son visiting a friend. When they saw Itoumo drive away with the boy they all assumed the man was in the backseat and they were all going on a trip together. No one had any idea of the crime that had been committed. She sighed, it was getting dark now and they still had no leads.

Mouri was still there, though he was much more sober than earlier. He was trying to help but was as frustrated as the rest of them with the lack of leads. Also, Megure was trying to keep him at arms length because of how close the detective was to the case. Ran had arrived a little while ago, and she now sat silently in a corner while the friend she was shopping with was hovering over her, trying her hardest to comfort the shocked girl. She'd taken Conan's kidnapping fairly hard, her worry evident despite her silence. At first the teen had been asking Satou for news what felt like every five minutes, but as she'd answered "nothing new" more and more frequently, the girl had stopped asking. Though the officer was sure that if it seemed like anything had happened the girl would be at it again.

The pages of Takagi's notebook crackled as Satou squeezed it. She was so _worried_. Who knew what was happening to her partner, with the luck he had it could be anything. Now they had no clues, no leads, not even a hunch and two of their brightest minds were missing. Okay, one of their brightest minds and a guy who occasionally got lucky. Still Takagi was brave and dependable in all types of situations, just the type of person they needed now.

Suddenly Megure came out of the house, Shiratori following behind him as Takagi usually did. The female officer forced down the pain in her heart and walked over to the other officers.

"Any news?" She asked, trying hard to sound professional and cop-like rather than worried and love-sick. Megure just sighed.

"Nothing yet. We have officers stationed at all major transportation terminals such as train stations, air ports, and several subway stops. We've also given a picture of Itoumo, Takagi-kun, and Conan-kun to all of the bus drivers, subway security, and taxi-cab owners. We've also sent out an alert to all traffic officers, toll booths, and checkpoints. The problem is they probably left hours ago, it would be a miracle if anyone saw and remembered them." As if in response to his words, the inspector's cell phone started to ring at that very moment.

"Hello?... Yes...Yes, a man and a child with glasses... yes, that child...YOU WHAT? Get over here, stat!"

"Megrue-keibu, what happened?" Shiratori asked in his irritatingly calm voice.

"We have a traffic cop who claimed to have spotted a car driven by a man fitting the description of Itoumo a couple of hours ago. He says he saw the others too. He'll be here any moment. You guys wait by the gate, I'm sending some men over to where they were last spotted."

"Hai!" The two officers chimed, moving quickly to the gate while the portly inspector searched for someone to follow the lead.

"Satou-keiji! " A familiar female voice suddenly sounded as Ran hurried to catch up to the officers. "What happened? Did you find anything?"

"Maybe. We have an officer who claims to have pulled over the culprit. He's on their way here now."

"S- so you mean you caught him?" Satou winced at the hope in the girl's voice.

"No, we just know which direction they were headed. He pulled them over back when we didn't know he was a kidnapper. It's been hours since then."

"Oh. So Conan could still be... he could still be..."

"We're getting closer. Why don't you sit back down with Sonoko-chan. I'll question him and tell you everything." The worried teen simply nodded, heading back to sit with her friend. Satou grit her teeth. Were she a woman of lesser stuff, she would long for the opportunity to cry with fear for her loved one while her friend comforted her, but she wasn't just anyone. She was Satou Miwako, police officer. Takagi would expect nothing but her best effort, he would want her out on the field doing everything to find and free him. So that was what she would do.

A squad car drove up to the gate, and a traffic officer stepped out, still in uniform. Shiratori stepped up to him.

"Hello, are you the officer who saw the culprit?"

"Yes, I am."

"My name is Shiratori and this is Satou-san. Please tell us everything that happened." The man began to speak, but Satou stopped him. She suddenly realized that they had nothing to take notes with, Takagi almost always did it. They needed some record of what the man was saying. After all, it happened more than once that some minuscule detail, that would've been forgotten had someone not taken note and written it down, was the key to solving the case. Takagi's note sometimes were a lifesaver. Well, she did have his notebook and pen after all, maybe... She flipped to an empty page and nodded to the man to continue.

"I was on the highway when I saw a car go into other lanes and swerve a couple of times, so I pulled it over. I thought that maybe it was a drunk driver but when I got to the window the driver seemed perfectly sober. He looked exactly like the Itoumo guy you're looking for. There was a man laying across the backseat and a little kid with glasses in the passenger seat. They were both asleep and wearing cold masks. The driver said they were sick and he was driving them home after being on vacation. He said he was swerving because the guy in the back was having nightmares. It made sense at the time, so I checked his license and sent him on his way."

"Are you sure the others in the car were Takagi- and Conan-kun."

The man hesitated, "I think so, but I've only heard of them. I haven't actually seen what either of them look like. Other than some pictures of the boy in the newspapers talking about Kid, which I didn't really look closely at..."

"Wait a second..." Miwako said, putting down the notebook as she dug through her pockets and pulled out her phone. She scrolled through the photos, trying to find one of her partner that she could show the officer. Sure she had several pictures of Takagi to chose from, but there was NO WAY she was going to show him the one of when they'd gone to Tropical Land together, or the one of them on a dinner date, or-

"I know you would've found a picture of him by now. Just show him the next one you see." Shiratori commanded. She blushed as she came to the next picture. Oh great, it had to be that one. She turned the phone to the officer, wincing slightly as his face became confused. Of course it had to be a picture she'd taken of one of the posters made after the wedding case. The one with her, in a wedding dress, flipping Takagi, who was in a tux. She heard a small chuckle from Shiratori as he saw what picture she'd shown the man, but she ignored it when the traffic officer spoke.

"That was him! That was the guy in the back seat!" He was looking strangely at Satou, now that he'd seen the embarrassing photo, and she grimaced inwardly. Great, another traffic officer with an interest in her love life. As if Yumi wasn't enough. Turing the phone to face her once again, she quickly found a picture of Conan.

"And was this the child?" She asked. Shiratori smirked at her.

"That was fast. I wonder why it took you so long when you looked for a picture of Takagi-kun." She blushed, wishing for a moment he hadn't met his new girlfriend. Beforehand he would never have teased her bout Takagi.

"Yeah, that was the kid. Man, I can't believe I didn't recognize him immediately. What kind of cop am I if I can't recognize Conan Edogawa. Everyone knows who he is."

Satou was about to ask the man what he meant when she stopped, realizing the statement was probably true. Almost every cop probably knew the child by now, it was surprising that this man didn't recognize him.

"Did you notice anything else strange?" She asked, hoping or some more information, if just the knowledge that it was Takagi and Conan asleep in the car, and not just their bodies.

"Not that I can think of, other than perhaps that he drove perfectly after I pulled him over. He was really, really bad before that. Afterwords, he was like a completely different driver. I don't thing there was anything other than that."

"Okay, thank you for your time. Please call the station if you can think of anything else."

The man nodded and walked away, leaving the other two officers to their thought.

"At least we know which direction he went." The male officer offered to his female companion. She nodded.

"Yeah, but we still don't know anything else. We aren't even sure they're still alive. It could have been their bodies in the car."

"What reason would Itoumo have for driving around with bodies when he left most of their thing here? He must have just kidnapped them, it doesn't make sense otherwise."

"You're right." She mumbled, "I should go tell Ran-Chan the news. I promised to keep her informed." The male officer watched as Satou walked numbly to the girl, who stood waiting with eager yet tear-filled eyes. Then he went to Megure to help in any way he could, not that it was much.

"Satou-keiji, what happened? What did he say?" Now even Sonorous was looking interested, Satou sighed inwardly. It was so hard to try and comfort someone else when your own world was falling apart by the seams.

"It seems he pulled over Itoumo, and Conan-kun and Takagi-kun were definitely with him at the time. They were asleep in his car, and their faces were covered with a germ mask so the officer didn't recognize them right away. We now have a direction we think they went in."

"So, we might find them? We have a chance?"

Satou forced a smile, "We're getting closer." Ran smiled slightly, worry still evident in her eyes, as Sonoko began to bombard her with "I told you the brat with glasses would be fine. Look at all these officers, plus he's really smart. He'll be fine."

The female officer let the teens words wash over her, pretending they were for her as well. She began absentmindedly flipping through Takagi's notebook. Yes, if there was one thing that slightly calmed her mind, it was that her partner had Conan with him. Not that the man was hopeless on his own, on the contrary he was very determined and often surprisingly smart. Yet it seemed when Takagi and Conan were together, miracles would happen. Then again that happened almost anywhere Conan went. Oh well, it helped to think Takagi was a part of the miracle as well. Sometimes he was... sometimes.

A slight smile fit her face as she turned the page to her own attempt at making notes. You could certainly see the difference between Takagi's notes and hers. His were so orderly, so perfect. Takagi was the kind of person who's notes in high school had been photocopied by the other students the day before a big test. They were just so neat, well organized, and understandable. He was rarely seen without his small notebook on a case, always jotting down the information for later use. She knew for a fact that it helped a ton with paperwork. Smiling at the memory of Takagi furiously scribbling the case facts in his neat handwriting, she flipped through the pages once again.

Suddenly she stopped, noticing for the first time her partner's strange color coding. There were some colors mixed in here and there, but for the most part two colors were used: a green highlighter, and a red pen. Nearly every recent case was boxed in red, and several lines in those sections were underlined as well. It wasn't until she saw Conan's name, underlined and boxed in separately that she realized that the child had been present in every red case. It seemed Takagi was taking special note of the cases with Conan. She saw no markings keeping track of experiences with other detectives, other than a red star on those Heiji was on with Conan. Why would he be so interested in Conan? Sure, he was an amazing child, incredible brilliant, but it almost seemed as if Takagi knew about something more. The notebook showed no readily foreseeable clues, containing only case notes and nothing more. She shrugged, it probably made sense to Takagi, and that was the important thing for him.

Another puzzling thing was the green highlights. Though they were the second most common marking they didn't occur nearly as much as the red Conan files. Looking at the dates it seemed that a "green" case occurred about once a month. As she searched for the highlighted sections, she got to more and more recent cases, finally arriving at the one they were working on that morning. Only to stop as she saw that it practically shone a bright neon green. Her breath caught in her throat, could this finally be the clue she'd been looking for?


	8. Chapter 8

Hi everyone, hope you're having a good summer! Thanks to all of the reviewers as well as those who favorited and alerted. ... I don't have much to say...so... please enjoy!

Disclaimer: you all know what I'm supposed to say here

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Satou looked down at the small notebook in her hands, trying to straighten her thoughts. She had one finger stuck in the four latest green cases, and was flipping through them noting their similarities. Suddenly she stopped as a thought struck her. She looked back on the other cases and facepalmed. Why did being worried always make her so _stupid_? Every singly case was a serial killer who was thought to have disappeared, and they were all unsolved. Flipping back over the older ones with the same coloring, she found that they were the same. They were so spaced out, so sporadic... no one other than Takagi seemed to notice that they were popping up so often. How did he figure it out? Why didn't he tell her? They were partners weren't they? She wasn't one to be saddened by 'oh,-does-he not-trust-me's or 'why-didn't-he-tell-me's but sill, she could have helped. It certainly seemed as if he were investigating this secretly, but why wouldn't he tell anyone? Sure there wasn't exactly very much to go on, but... none of that really mattered now though. The question was, did it have anything to do with the kidnapping?

She couldn't imagine that it didn't, it was too big a coincidence. Did the culprits know he'd figured it out? No, how could they? As far as she knew he hadn't told anyone. If he hadn't told her then it was likely he hadn't told anyone. Still, why would they kidnap him if they didn't know he suspected it? It wasn't possible that they were planning on kidnapping someone and he, the only one to figure out they existed, just happened to come along. Takagi's luck couldn't be that bad could it? Actually, yeah it could, It has been in the past.

If whatever group he was on the trail of really existed, then it would make sense that they had a plan when they kidnapped Takagi. There were many old kidnappings they could be attempting to replicate. Was it important that he was a cop, or could it have been anyone? Wait, Conan was there as well. That widened the search to dual kidnappings, kidnappings of an adult and child, of both adults and children, as well as any number of singular kidnappings including children, men, and officers. Satou sighed, this was hurting her head. Now that she understood Takagi's notes, maybe she could tell Megure about his theory. Perhaps they could even find someone the person was probably copying.

As Satou walked towards the inspector, her eyes roamed to the other officers milling about. There were several wandering around the building, even a couple of forensics guys, not that there was much they could study. Apparently Itoumo's fingerprints weren't on file, and the only other evidence for them to categorize was the clothes of Takagi and Conan. One of the forensics was talking to Megure now, though about what Satou had no clue. She let her gaze wander again as she walked up to the portly man, not wanting to interrupt the conversation. She saw a group of uniformed officers chatting in a corner, some of them relatively new to the force. She smiled slightly seeing the nervous ticks of the rookies. One of the young men had half of his handcuffs out of its holder and was idly swinging the free part, another was shifting his gun around in its holster, and yet another was constantly polishing his badge. She smiled in the memory of her first cases, the nervous ticks she was sure she had as well, though she never noticed them.

Suddenly she froze. Handcuffs, an officer's gun, a badge, and an officer being kidnapped, they all reminded her of a case, one that happened a years ago. Of course she'd been to young to be on it, but she'd heard. Everyone had heard. The officers had been terrified of the criminal, who was picking them off one by one. They never did find any leads. If that was the one who kidnapped Takagi, or if it was even someone copying that mystery person, then Takagi could be... She suddenly whirled on the man speaking to Megure, no longer caring if she was interrupting.

"You categorized the evidence from where we found the clothes right?"

"Y-yes." The man stammered, seeming shocked.

"Was there anything of Takagi's that was missing? Something he should have had?"

For a moment the man simply stared at her surprised, and she begged that she'd been wrong.

"Actually yes there was. In addition to his wallet being empty his gun, handcuffs, and badge were all missing." Satou paled at the mans words, and she dimly heard Megure's angry yelling.

"And you're just telling us this now? Why didn't you say anything was missing earlier?"

"W-well I wrote it up in my report. I just thought it made sense that the kidnapper would steal the weapon and the money, and I thought he probably used the cuffs on Takagi-keiji. The badge I thought would be some kind of trophy for the culprit."

Megure huffed. "I guess that makes sense, but you need to tell us everything. Whats there, what should be there, and what missing. Got it?"

"Yes sir."

"Good, but what you said made sense. It seems no harm done this time."

"No." Satou mumbled, her words getting increasingly louder. "No no no no no no no!"

"Satou-kun, whats wrong?" Megure asked. By now Shiratori had joined the group as well, and was listening intently. For a second, Satou simply shook her head in the horror of knowing her fears had been confirmed. The empty wallet wasn't an issue, Takagi never had much in their to begin with, but with all of the other absent items, it could only mean one thing. The female officer held up her partners notebook, trying desperately to steady her shaking hand.

"I was going through Takagi-kun's notebook, and I saw he'd highlighted several cases. Including this one. I thought maybe it would be a hint to whatever happened, and studied the other cases. I found that they were all cases of old unsolved serial killers suddenly killing again."

"That must be why he'd highlighted today's case. The Cuckoo Clock Killer, after disappear for twenty years, suddenly struck again." Shiratori butt in.

"Exactly. It seems several of these cases have happened recently, but were spread too far apart to garner a lot of notice. I think Takagi thought they were connected, and I agree with him."

"But that means, since we know Itoumo was the murderer, that this kidnapping-"

"Was a replication of a past event, right. And apparently Takagi's gun, badge, and handcuffs were missing. He's replicating the Officer Murders from 8 years ago." The surrounding men paled at Satou's words, each one know what that meant for the shy man in the culprit's clutches.

"But wait," A voice said behind Satou and she jumped in surprise. Turing, she was surprised to see a pensive looking Mouri standing behind her. She realized he must have heard most of the conversation. "What about Conan-kun? I guess that all makes sense when you think about Takagi-keiji, but what could they have been replicating with the brat?" Satou bit her lip, truthfully she'd been much more worried over her partner than the child. Not because of her, fine I'll say it, love for the man, but because Conan just seemed so much more... capable. She knew one could definitely count on Takagi when the going got rough, but between the two, Conan would have the easier time with everything. Still, Mouri had brought up a good point. What were they hoping to gain by taking Conan? Was it another kidnapping altogether. As she was thinking Shiratori spoke.

"Well, he couldn't very well kidnap Takagi-san and just leave Conan here. If we assume that this abduction of an officer was planned, then it makes sense that Itoumo purposely got himself onto the lists of witnesses we had to question. He probably planned for the officer to come here and he would kidnap them as he did with Takagi-san. Conan-kun being there probably surprised him, but he didn't have much of a choice about taking him as well. Perhaps they'll even alter his kidnapping to follow the pattern they'd been making. Perhaps they'll do something else entirely. Whatever the case I think we can assume that Conan-kun was in no way an original target."

The others nodded. The line of reasoning made sense, but from the corner of her eyes Satou saw Mouri's hand clench into a fist and her heart chilled as she realized what this revelation meant for the child. If they just wanted Takagi and Conan wasn't a target, that would make the child unimportant. It would make him disposable. He could already be gone. Mouri jumped as Megure's large hand landed on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, we'll find him. Conan-kun's stronger than you think."

Mouri nodded, but said nothing, throwing a worried glance at his daughter as she huddled with her friend. The girl had not yet noticed that the officers seemed to find something new. Satou swallowed. She knew that the girl was just as worried about Conan as the officer was about Takagi, possibly more-so. Satou looked at the worried father.

"Don't tell her that Conan-kun wasn't supposed to be a target, it would only worry her," Mouri nodded, but Satou wasn't done yet." Don't count Conan-kun out. If they were taken together, then they're probably still together. If anyone could get out of this alive, it would be them. Both of them are smart and come through in amazing when times are tough. We can't let ourselves think that its hopeless for either of them. In the old cases the officers would go missing for a week before they were killed. We can't give up until the week is passed and we find Takagi's... until we know its too late."

"That's right! We can't give up, and these notes means we finally have leads. We can do this." Satou tried to smile as her small speech excited the others, but in truth she couldn't muster up the energy. She wasn't exactly the 'motivational-speech' kind of person, and it was especially hard when she herself was the one most worried. But she couldn't have just stayed silent, she could tell from the looks on their faces, they had given up. She couldn't let that happen, it they ave up Takagi had no chance. He would get out of this okay, he had to. She suddenly realized that Megure had begun barking out orders.

"It's too late to follow up tonight, anyone we would talk to would be asleep or getting ready for bed. First thing tomorrow morning I want all of you to meet in my office and we'll discuss what to do next. Got it?"

"Yes Sir!" The surrounding people chorused before turning away to get ready to leave. Satou bit her lip as she walked to her car, and for a moment she cursed that she'd given Megrue the notebook so quickly. She knew that no matter how much she argued the investigation wouldn't start until tomorrow. She needed to be doing something now! Who knows what was happening to Takagi this very moment? Yet she was stuck waiting for morning. She wanted so badly to argue with the inspector, but she had no grounds on which to do so. Any argument she could come up with would probably get her taken off the case because she sounded like a lovestruck worrywart who was too close to the victim. She would not let that happen. So, dedicating herself to do as much as humanly possible tomorrow, the woman bit her lip against the protests in her mind and walked to her car, knowing she wouldn't get any sleep that night.

Had she stayed a few moments, longer, had she even turned around, she would have seen Shiratori and Megure talking quietly to one another, occasionally shooting glances her retreating form.

"Megrue-keibu, I'm not sure how wise it is for Satou-san to be working on this case."

"What are you talking about , Shiratori-kun? I have partners working on cases involving each other all the time."

The officer frowned slightly at his superiors words. Sure, Satou and Takagi hadn't really been vocal about their relationship at work, but had the inspector really missed all of the rumors flying around? Well, if he didn't know, Shiratori certainly wasn't going to upright tell him... not yet at least.

"Well those two are... fairly close as far as partners go, I'm afraid maybe too close."

Megure sighed. "I know they're close. But you know Satou-kun as well as I do. DO you really think she would do anything but think about this case if I tried to put her on a different one? She wouldn't get anything done. She is so stubborn I probably couldn't get her off of this case if I tried. It's better to put her where her talents lay and she'll pay attention. Plus I have a gut feeling. This is going to be a difficult case, I'll need all of my best on it." The man sighed once more. "If Takagi-kun were here I'd put him on it too, but he's not. Neither is Conan-kun who, though I hate to admit it, has helped us out more times than I can count. The fact is I need every good mind I can get on this case, and her mind wouldn't be good if we put it on any other. She's staying on this case."

"Yes sir."


	9. Chapter 9

Wow this has been a crazy summer so far. Its been so HOT here and of course for some reason my boss is having me work more shifts than anyone else. (I can't tell if that's a good sign or not) I do still have time to write though so do not despair! Here is the possibly awaited chapter with Conan and Takagi, the part I would find more interesting if I were reading. So I hope you like it!

Also thank you so much for all of the favorites, alerts and reviews! I can't beleive how many people like this story and I hope I don't disappoint!

Disclaimer: Just by putting this here I'm telling you I don't own this...

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The next morning Takagi and Conan woke to a bright light streaming into their faces. Conan, who for the past year has been living in paranoia and caution, shot immediately into a sitting position, alert to any danger. Takagi, who for the past few years had been a working man with late nights, early mornings, unpredictable hours and annoying alarm clocks, grumbled angrily and rolled over before he remembered the previous day and shot up as well. Both now awake detectives turned to the stairs leading to their cage as the sounds of footsteps filled the room. Itoumo was walking towards them, two bowls in his hand and a sneer on his face.

"Well good morning, sleeping beauties. You look like you've slept terribly." Takagi blinked at the man's words. Did he really look that bad? On second thought, if he looked half as bad as he felt, then yeah probably. But did Conan look that bad too? The man turned slightly to see the boy leaning over the side of his bunk, his legs dangling in the air. The officer grimaced slightly at the child's appearance. His bruises had darkened immensely overnight and now dark, multicolored spots covered the boys body and half of his face was a deep purple-red. In addition to that, the terrible night's sleep had left dark circles under his eyes that even the boy's large rimed glasses couldn't hide. His hair was in such chaos that you couldn't even see the cowlick standing up in the back. In the gray concrete of their cell, the bright red showing through the makeshift bandage on his bullet wound brought a surprising splash of dark color. Takagi felt a stone of doom settle in his stomach. Ran would kill him if she saw Conan like this, and considering her karate skills that wasn't just a saying.

A low chuckling sounded from the gate, and Takagi turned back to see that Itoumo had already reached the ends of the stairs and was working on unlocking the food gate. The office forced himself to stand and went to meet the kidnapper. Tabby slid the two bowls through the hole but stayed silent during the exchange, a large yawn splitting his face. As Takagi grabbed the bowl he heard an angry grumble complaining that it was "Way to early for this".

Turning back to the bed, Takagi winced as Conan jumped from the top of the bed to the floor. The bunk had to be at least three times the boy's height... not that that was really saying much. The bed wasn't really that high, but it sure seemed that way when someone as small as Conan was jumping down from it. Not for the first time Takagi questioned letting the boy take the top bunk, but he knew that it really was for the best. Without any of his handy-dandy gadgets, the only hope Conan had of helping to defend the two of them was jumping on one of the cats from the top bunk or tripping them from the ground. In reality it probably wouldn't make any difference, but in a war you always wanted the higher ground.

Handing the child one of the bowls, Takagi sat down on the side of his bed to eat his breakfast. Some kind of oatmeal, it didn't taste bad but there wasn't exactly a lot of it. Certainly not enough to completely fill the hole in his stomach. Conan was looking in his bowl with the same dismay that Takagi felt. Then he sighed and began eating, the officer following suit a few seconds later. It wasn't like anything they did would get them more food anyways, might as well just eat what they had. As they got near to the bottom of their bowls, Itoumo started talking.

"Don't you two think you can try to get away with hiding the silverware like you tried yesterday. I may not be as smart as Lion, but I can count two bowls and spoons."

From the corner of his eye Takagi could see Conan rolling his eyes, and he had to bite back both a chuckle and the desire to do the same. It would be idiotic to try something they'd gotten caught at yesterday, especially because of how obvious it would be if one of the two spoons were missing. For all of the planning Itoumo seemed to have when they were first kidnapped, it seemed as if Lion was the only who really had any brains. But he probably wasn't lying about being able to count to two. Takagi handed back the now empty bowls without incident, barely listening to the criminal's rambling speech. It was becoming rapidly apparent that Tabby liked to speak for the sole purpose of hearing his own voice. Suddenly the man said something that caught the officer's interest.

"Yeah officer whatever-your-name-is, we have plans for the kid, but you we're just going to kill. Ha, we're counting down the days of your murder and you can't do anything to stop it! You can't escape, you can't fight, you can try begging but it won't get you anywhere. Six days. You have six days before you're dead and the kid... ha. Like I said we have plans for him, wonderful plans. Well, wonderful for us at least. You probably wouldn't like all of them... or any of them. You kid... well, you'll learn to like 'em. You won't have any choice." With an abrupt turn the criminal started up the stairs, menacing laughter trailing behind him. The duo remained silent until the door closed behind the man, Conan watching him dubiously.

"You know," The child began " I bet he stands in front of a mirror practicing everything he says." Takagi nodded, eying the space the man had been speculatively.

"I hate to say it Conan-kun, but if that's the kind of intellect Lion has in his little group right now, I can see why he would want to recruit you." Conan nodded, a ironic and wry smile on his face.

"You almost feel sorry for him."

"I don't."

"Yeah, not really." There was a momentary silence, then Conan spoke.

"I guess they don't know that we figured out about how they replicate old murders. It didn't seem like it at least."

"How could they? I never told anyone about my theories, not even Satou-san. Unless you told anyone I can't think of anyone else who might have figured it out."

Conan shook his head. "I wasn't involved in any of their other cases so I didn't pay much attention to them. I had noticed the frequency of cases with their M.O and thought it was getting suspicious but I wanted to go over some old case files and get some evidence or at least find some bases or precedents to back the theory up before I took it to anyone."

Takagi nodded, attempting to look solemn about the news while inside he was marveling. That was the longest and most intelligent spiel he'd heard Conan say without covering it up with a fake little kid smile or lie. Who was he going to take it to? Not many officers appreciated the child's genius like he did, but wouldn't Conan have said so if he was just going to tell him. More importantly where was he getting case files from? Especially because he would have to search in ones that were years old. For the first time it really hit the officer, this would be a great opportunity to observe his little test subject. The kid was already slipping up much more than he realized. Earlier he knew a lot about the officer case, one that happened before he was supposed to be born. The seriousness of their situation was making him forget to cover up and hide... whatever the secret was. This was his chance to finally figure out the truth! Just in time to die... great.

Takagi let out a half-amused snort at the thought. Conan looked at him curiously, but the officer shook his head to show that it was nothing. After giving the man a strange look, the boy rested his chin on his thumb and fell back into his ponderings. Takagi began to ponder as well, though his thoughts were far from his young companion's. He finally had the perfect opportunity to make everything make sense and he was determined to do so, even if it was the last thing he did. Which, considering his current situation it may very well be.

But he wouldn't learn anything from sitting next to the pint-sized private eye in silence. Sure body language tells a lot and eyes are the window to the soul, actions speak louder then words, blah blah blah. Truthfully, Conan could lie all he wanted with his words and little kid talk, but he couldn't lie with his body. During everyday cases the boy would most enter elevator mode when silent, mentally reviewing and deducing the matter of a case and the evidence. Takagi had hours of body language data in his metal library of Conan anomalies. What he needed now was words. The incredible theories, vast vocabulary, and slight slips he said when his mind was occupied with a case. The time of intense concentration where the boy was no longer Conan, when everything seemed to fade out for the boy and he no longer hid behind masks or lies. That was what Takagi would need to solve the Conan Case.

He had to find some way to draw the boy into thinking out loud without making the boy clam up or making his suspicious. It wouldn't do to simply ask him about his ideas. That would only get him a stupid "How would I know, I'm just a kid" Or something to that effect. The man knew from experience that trying to get answers led no where; any data he had had fallen right into his lap. He just had to be observant, and be ready when the clues came. Suddenly he realized that a slight mumbled droning had started during his mental tirade. Conan was very, very quietly mumbling to himself as he thought.

Takagi allowed himself the smallest of smiles. His luck was a strange thing. He had no clue how he could simultaneously be the person with the best and luck in the world. Like one time when he was the officer whose car had a bomb in it... yet he'd somehow escaped the blast unharmed. Or how he was the one who ended up stuck in an elevator with a bomb... with perhaps the only person alive who could decode the clue and still stop the bomb. Or even how he was somehow able to catch the notice of Satou, but was interrupted every time they tried to kiss for months. Best luck and worst luck at the same time, it made no sense.

Oh well this wasn't helping anything. He stopped his musing and began listening to Conan's soft dialogue. In the hours of waiting in the small cell, the only sound to be heard was the soft murmuring of a child and the steady breathing of an adult. For hours it seemed Takagi sat in silence, amazed at the boy's intellect, now being shown in ways the officer would never have believed before. He listed for the scarce slips the child made, the anomalies between him now and the life he had established as Conan, the mention of dates far beyond his age, occasional mentions of Them ( though the child never said who They were). All in all the fuzzy picture was becoming clearer, excruciatingly slow and confusing, but clear none the less. Still he knew he was still missing something, or several somethings. For a moment he wished he had his trusty notebook. It always helped him to focus, and while he didn't actually write down his theories about the child it contained all of the cases they'd been on together. He wondered where the book was now.

Suddenly the door at the top of the stairs opened. Conan quieted as both of them looked to the top of the steps, surprised to see Lion there rather than Tabby. He was alone too, the lower ranked man was nowhere to be seen. The two captives didn't focus on that long though, their attention focused of the lethal man walking to their cell, with what looked like dinner held in his hands. Takagi's stomach rumbled at the sight. It had been hours since their meager breakfast, and they had received no lunch. By now both captives were starving and the waited with baited breath as Lion neared them. He stopped at the foot of the stairs. Takagi rose, knowing even as he did so that it was a useless act.

"You know I don't want you, officer," Lion's harsh voice sounded, putting both disdain and scorn into the man's title.

Despite everything in him telling him otherwise, Takagi forced himself to sit back down as Conan hopped off the bed. Learning from last time the boy stayed well out of arm's reach from the door, his piercing gaze fixed on the fiend standing on the other side of the cage. The man returned his stare, but made no move to give the food. Finally Conan spoke.

"Well?" The man smiled, as if he had won some battle only he knew of.

"Well, what?" The man replied. Conan nodded towards the plates in the man's hands, but got no reply until he actually spoke.

"The food, aren't you going to give it to us?" Lion smiled again and Takagi's jaw clenched as he realized what the man was doing. It was all mental games. He was trying to make Conan subconsciously view him as a leader, doing small things in attempt to show authority. When he first came in and was watching Conan, he was really attempting to stare the boy down. And Conan had unwittingly conceded when he spoke. Then Lion made Conan talk to him before answering his question, by refusing to answer with just motions, the man had practically ordered Conan to verbally ask. And Conan had unknowingly obeyed his command.

Takagi's hands formed into fists and Lion looked up, alerted by the small movement. The two men's eyes connected for a second, and Lion sneered when he saw from Takagi's eyes that the man knew what he was doing. The sneer changed into a deep glare, sending the officer a silent message: if you value your life, say nothing. The felon's eyes then returned to the child before him, who had seemingly missed the fast exchange. Takagi glared, but knew it would do no good to say anything. Lion spoke, and Takagi realized he was responding to Conan's question.

"Beg."

"Huh?" The boy blinked, confused.

"If you want the food, beg." Takagi forced himself to refrain from an eye roll. So much for _subtle_ mind games. Conan however, still seemed slightly in shock by the request.

"Y-you... want me to beg?" The man smirked at the boy's owlish, confused face.

"Yes, Kitten. Something like: Please give me dinner Lion-sama." Finally Conan seemed to understand what was happening, and his confused face morphed into one of anger and defiance.

"No."

"Say it if you want to eat."

"No."

"Then you go hungry."

"I don't care."

The man sneered and nodded back at the officer, "Perhaps you don't care about going hungry, but what about your friend? If you don't get food, than neither does he. Will you really allow him to go without food when you know he is so hungry?" At that it seemed as if the boy's resolve faltered slightly. He looked back to his fellow captive with worry and doubt in his eyes. The officer felt as if he'd been punched in the gut. Unusual or not, Conan was simply a child. The boy shouldn't be worried for him, an officer. He shouldn't feel the responsibility of making sure Takagi was safe, or fed. With these thoughts in mind he forced his most convincing smile.

"Don't worry Conan-kun I'm not that hungry. I'm an officer, remember? I'm used to living on a cup of microwave noodles a day."

A small smile ghosted on Conan's face, but Lion's only let out a glare so murderous Takagi rethought the saying about looks not being able to kill. Conan looked back to the man.

"No." Suddenly the glare was gone and the fiend's face returned to his usual calm yet harsh exterior. He seemed to be back in control.

"Fine then. See you tomorrow Kitten." With a swift turn he headed up the stairs, never once looking back. As usual the man's presence brought on a moment of silence between the two prisoners. Finally Conan spoke.

"I didn't think I'd see him again until you week was done. Well, I hoped I wouldn't see him."

"Yeah, seems _Lion-sama _likes to start training early." Takagi replied, saying the name mockingly. Conan snorted softly, "Even Itoumo just called him Lion." Then practically silently, so quietly that Takagi wasn't really sure the child even spoke, he breathed " And They only refer to Him as That Person, so..."

Takagi blinked, but knew he hadn't been supposed to hear and therefore not supposed to reply. The two settled into silence that lasted until the lights went out, starting a hungry, once again sleepless night.


	10. Chapter 10

Okay so to be honest I'm not terribly interested in the Ran/Shinich/Conan drama in fanfics. Its good in the mange but I've just never been interested in love centered books. It may be because I never really had a romance, but I'm not that good at writing in Ran's voice or Ai's for that matter. Sorry if this chapter isn't as good as my others, personally I think its kinda weak but I don't think I could get it any better. I needed a chapter centered on them because... well I think they're important and should be heard but this will be the last to be centered here for a while. Satou is fun to write though, she'll be the main female lead and will be in it a lot.

Wow, that was a long spiel, sorry. Thank you to all of the reviewers, favoriters and alerters!

Disclaimer: I bribed Kaitou Kid with information about Pandora and convinced him to steal Detective Conan and give it to me, so now I technically do own this!... I wish...

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Ran sighed as the plastic of the cell phone bit into her hand. From the device she heard a familiar message from an even more familiar voice. _You have reached the phone of ace high school detective Shinichi Kudo. Sorry but I'm working on an important case right now. I'll try to return your call later. Until then please leave a message. Oh, and if this is Ran I'll call you back as soon as I can. _Beep. The girl sighed and hung up without leaving a message, she'd already left seven after all.

Why wasn't he answering her calls? He always did this when she needed him most. She could live with that, sure it hurt but she was eventually getting used to it. What was really making her upset was that this was when CONAN needed Shinichi the most, and he still was nowhere to be seen. The kid looked up to Shinichi, how would he feel if he knew that at a time where his life was at stake his hero couldn't even answer his phone?

Clenching her teeth to bite back a sob the girl turned to look out the window. Conan was somewhere out there, at the hands of some murderous kidnapper. Her father was out there as well, looking for the child. She heard that even the Detective Boys were conducting an investigation, not that it would go far without their leader. Sonoko promised to come by later so that they could investigate together, but until then her father ordered her to stay put. She had to sit at home when everyone else was looking for him, him and Takagi. Ran felt her heart clench as the panicked face of Satou as she tried to find information. The officer was so worried about him. Ran was sorry she had to keep interrupting her during the investigation but... but Conan...

Ran felt a tear trickle down her face as the familiar hole in her heart pulsed. The hole had been formed the day Shinichi had left her at Tropical Land, and hadn't been completely full since. However, Conan had filled most of it. The child was so smart, and so brave, and so... so Shinichi! Most of the time she didn't know what she would have done if Conan hadn't come when Shinichi disappeared. Caring for the child had helped her take her mind off of her lost love, and though the similarities sometimes made everything hurt worse, it often felt as if her love never left. But now, Conan was gone as well, and the hole was bigger than ever. With Conan gone she had no one to remind her of the boy. She had no one she had to be strong for. She had no... she had no Conan! Maybe if she called Shinichi he would pick up this time. Maybe he would help. He HAD to help!

The girl called the familiar number, this time hanging up before the message had time to end. That JERK! She needed him, Conan needed him, the police needed him and where was he? Who knew? When he got back she was gonna... she was gonna... the girl sighed. She'd probably do nothing but start crying... again. She knew she wasn't really angry at Shinichi, wait strike that. She wasn't THAT angry with him, only slightly more than she usually was. She was just upset and she needed someone to blame, and it was easier to be angry with Shinichi for not being there than some faceless kidnapper for actually doing the deed.

She was just so worried. Conan, the sweet little boy who'd been the anchor for her sanity was in the hands of some monster. She shuddered; she had to talk to someone. Sitting alone in the silent room where she shared so many memories with both of the boys missing from her life wasn't helping anything. But who could she call? Sonoko had been there when she found out, and she'd tried comforting her and was coming over later. The karate champion didn't really want to bother the friend that had already done so much for her. Her grip on the phone tightened as she realized how few people she had whom she could call in such a time of need. She still had one though. Quickly flipping her free hand to brush away the tears under her eyes, the girl began to call her best Osakan friend.

Ran sighed in relief when finally one of her calls was answered. "Kazuha-chan..." she breathed, tears prickling at her eyes when she heard her friends chipper voice.

"Ran-chan, is that you? Hello?"

"Kazuha-chan... its- its horrible!"

"What happened?" The osakan's mood changing from it usual energetic tones to one of worry and surprise.

"I-it's Conan-kun. He'd followed the police on an investigation yesterday, you know like he always does. He was with Takagi-keiji, just the two of then, going to around and questioning people about some murder. But- but then they never came back."

"NO!" Kazuha yelled, her mind filling with terrible ideas about what could have happened.

"Yeah. S-Satou-keiji went to look for them, but she found out that they were kidnapped by the murderer. E- everyone's looking but no one has found any clues at all! And Shinichi won't answer his phone, I've tried calling a million times! And-and... and I'm just so scared. What if- what if Conan-kun... Oh who knows what could happen to him! I'm so worried Kazuha-chan..."

For a moment silence reined on the other side of the phone, then... "HEIJI!" The girl shouted away from the phone.

"WHAT? QUIT YELLIN' AHOU!" A distant voice answered.

"WE HAVE TO GET TO TOKYO, NOW! CONAN-KUN'S BEEN KIDNAPPED!"

"WHAT? KUDO'S IN TOUBLE?"

"NO, CONAN-KUN YOU AHOU! CLEAN OUT YOUR EARS!"

"THAT'S WHAT I MEANT, AHOU! COME ON I THINK I HEARD THAT THERE'S A TRAIN TO TOKYO LEAVIN IN A LITTLE WHILE, LET'S GO!"

"HEI-" Suddenly the call disconnected, leaving a shocked Ran to stare at the receiver.

"Uh, hello?" She asked hesitantly as a dial tone flooded the room. She didn't have long to ponder this though, for only a second later the door burst open, revealing an energetic Sonoko.

"Alright Ran, are you ready to go searching? Between your Karate and the skills of The Deduction Queen Sonoko, I pity anyone who thinks they can get away with kidnapping the kid with glasses. They'll never escape!"

Ran smiled softly and rose to join her friend, the light-hired girl's optimism infecting her as well.

"That's right! Don't worry Conan-kun we're coming for you!"

"Lets go!" Both girls ran out the door, fire and determination leading them though they had no clue where to go. Hours later they would return with nothing but dampened spirits as sign of their hard work.

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Ai Haibara glanced at the red cell phone as it rang for what seemed like the millionth time. Sighing she turned back to her computer as the annoying tone stopped. She didn't know if it was good luck or bad that Agasa was fixing a bug on "Shinichi's" phone when Conan was kidnapped. What she did know was that if that girl called one more time she was chucking the phone out the window. She wanted to turn it off, but Agasa was convinced that it would turn Ran into a panicked frenzy. Leaning over the girl turned down the volume until the phone was set to vibrate. Smiling at the promise of silence, she got back to work... only for the table to vibrate a moment after she began. She glared at the phone. According to the screen this would be the eighteenth missed call. Still, despite her annoyance a slight smile formed on the shrunken scientist's face. That girl just wouldn't give up. Sighing, Ai turned her attention back to the computer. Phone or not she had work to do.

Hakase had been informed that morning about Conan's kidnapping, and because of his past skill with solving cases he was given more information than usual. It seemed as though Conan was helping them investigate without even being there for had he not solved so many crimes in the professor's voice they would have been told next to nothing. As it was it seemed that the police had little to go off. Sure they were getting hints as to who took them and their motives, but they had less than nothing when it came to information regarding where the kidnapped detectives could be. If they didn't know that then it didn't matter how much information they got on the Copycats, it would be too late.

Hakase had asked the police for a description of the car, and it seemed one of the man's neighbors had given them a pretty good one. Now the professor was trying to find it by hacking into security cameras, and she was combing the internet for any blogs mentioning suspicious behavior. So far it seemed as if no one had seen anything strange, or if they had it didn't seem important enough to mention online at all. She had to keep looking though. The police were looking for the culprits, but they were looking for the victims. They didn't have much time, if Satou was right they only had a week.

_ Ding-dong!_ Ai glared at the sound of the doorbell, but knew that Hakase was too far away to hear it and she would have to answer it herself. Letting out a huff of exasperated breath, she rose to tell whoever it was to go away. Opening the door she was surprised to see three defiant faces at her eye level. She forced herself not to groan, the detective boys had arrived.

"Ai-chan!" Called Ayumi as the door opened, "What are you doing sitting here at home when Conan-kun needs us?"

"We detective boys need to stick together, especially when one of our members is in danger!" Mitsuhiko chimed in after her,

"Yeah!" The ever-original Genta added. Ai sighed, fixing on the children one of her chilling glares... which never seemed to work on them.

Believe it or not, I also am searching for Edogawa-kun. Hakase and I are searching using our computers. There is more than one way to find clues."

"Come on!" Genta groaned, " There's no way you guys could be finding anything! Come with us and help us search!"

"Yeah, we can't do it with both you and Conan-kun gone." Ayumi said quietly, sadness hampering her voice. Ai felt a stab of pity for the girl, and the two boys as the three simultaneously hung their heads. She glanced back at the computer in the corner. It wasn't like she was really finding anything productive, and the longer she went without leads the less likely it was that she would find anything. Maybe giving her mind a short rest would actually help.

"Fine. Just let me go tell Hakase. And no he can't come with us. He may actually find something useful."

"HAI!" The three cheered. Ai smiled softly as she went to talk to Hakase, but the smile quickly fell to a frown. If it were any of them missing she had no doubt Kudo could find them and return them to safety no matter the impossible odds; he was special like that. However when it was he who was in danger, she had little hope that her and three grade schoolers could find him. She was no detective, and despite their groups title neither were the kids. Perhaps they would be someday, but not now. Sarcasm bit at her as she realized that the three "detectives" so willing to investigate now would have to stop searching and go to school tomorrow.

After telling the portly professor where she was going she returned to the door to be literally drug out the door by enthusiastic children. A wedge of sadness filled her heart. She had a feeling this case wasn't one that simply there boundless energy and determination could solve.


	11. Chapter 11

Hi people! Thank you everyone who favorited , alerted, and especially who reviewed. I always get excited when I see new reviews from my readers!

I don't really know if this is at all realistic; a lot of this is kind of based off of the chapter about the man who killed Satou's father because he was going to confess after the time limit was up. I really don't know what would happen if something along these lines happened in real life, but just remember your suspension of disbelief.

Without futher ado, on to the story! Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: self-explanatory.

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Satou sighed as she drove to the police station, for once even obeying the speed limit. She hadn't gotten any sleep last night, any dreams she had were nightmares riddled with a terror filled Takagi. She shook her head to rid herself of the image as she drove into the parking lot of the police station. She would find them. She wouldn't let another man she loved die, not now not ever. Getting out of the car she headed strait for Megure's desk, breezing past Yumi so that she wouldn't be caught under the traffic officer's sympathetic gaze. She needed results not sympathy. She didn't think she could handle sympathy. Business, now that she could handle. With that in mind she kept up a strictly serious face as she marched directly to the inspector.

A few others arrived at the desk at the same time as her, but Megure made them wait the excruciating few moments it took for everyone on the case to arrive. There were several officers surrounding the desk by the time he finally began to speak.

"Concerning the case of Conan-kun and Takagi-kun's kidnapping, our biggest current lead other than the sighting of the felon's car is Takagi-kun's notebook which points out the possibility of an organized criminal group which replicate the crimes of uncaught serial killers. Due to several articles of evidence found at the criminal's house, it is extremely plausible that should this group exist, this man would be a member of it. We are to proceed with much of this investigation as if we were certain of the authenticity of this group, and I will refer to it as if it were fact. However, I would like to remind everyone to remain skeptical. We don't know that the group really exists. Now, since we have determined this man to be a member of the group we believe we know the case he was replicating when he kidnapped Takagi-kun. We believe that..." Satou ignored the man as he summarized the case for the others. She knew the details far too well. They only had a week at most, and had nearly no leads.

Even if they did somehow confirm that this group existed, they still had to find Takagi. She knew Megure was being smart by not totally confirming the existence of the group, but she had a hard time doubting Takagi's notes. It seemed he was so serious about it. He'd taken such care I his notes. But... he had been wrong before. She found her eyes drifting to a window, looking out to the depth beyond where somewhere her love was hidden. Wherever he was now he would know if his theories were right or not. She wished he was here now more than ever, both for his help with the case and the knowledge that he was safe. Paying attention to the inspector for a moment she sighed. She also wished that Megure would stop going over the case, and tell them what he was actually planning to do about it. Finally the man seemed to get there.

"Now, there have been instances in the past where criminals will confess once the time limit for arresting them is up. Several such individuals have found their crimes replicated by this group. Because we did not know about them, we naturally assumed that the original killers had struck again. Some we have arrested, others had good enough lawyers and alibis to escape prison, though they remained suspects and many are being monitored. These people are our biggest leads. Though they are likely innocent of the recent murders, they may know something or have seen something that will help us find the group and therefore Takagi-kun and Conan-kun.

"I have some people going over old case files and comparing them with both the cases in Takagi-kun's notebook and any recent unsolved murders. While they compile a list I have called the prison which now holds those who confessed for crimes years ago and the crimes were replicated. I have set up times for some of you to go and question them. Because we have no other cases currently I'm sending the best I have. Satou-kun, Shiratori-kun, Taka- er I mean Chiba-kun, you three will go down. You can go now, everyone else follow me."

Satou turned swiftly as they were dismissed, not wanting to catch anyone's eye. Megure's slip said it all. She too kept on looking over her shoulder, wanting to talk with Takagi-keiji. She continuously opened her mouth to discus the case with him, only to remember the case was ABOUT him. It just felt so wrong to be dealing with such a serious case without him. She expected him to walk around the corner, nearly spilling his coffee as someone bumped into him. She expected to look up and see him staring at her, a low blush filling his cheeks. She expected- the officer gasped as a hand landed on her shoulder, her heart thumping as she pictured her love's serious yet somehow adorable face somehow being there. But she only felt disappointment as she met Chiba's eyes instead.

"Ah, sorry Satou-san, but can I ride with you? My roommate took my car today." The female officer nodded, trying not to show the disappointment that it was him and not Takagi. He smiled at her softly, as if he saw it but understood.

"C'mon then," He said, determination alight in his eyes. "Lets get my friend back!" Satou smiled softly at the man's determination, speaking for the first time that day.

"Yes, we won't stop until he's back with us." The two then headed down to the prison, meeting Shiratori there. Because of the time span that seemed to separate the group's crimes, and the scarce number of people who chose to confess after the time span was up there weren't many people they had to speak to, only three in the jail. Yet if one truly considered the odds, it was impressive that there was even that many. It seemed as if the group tended to favor the killers who had confessed. If it was for a scapegoat or some entirely other reason, she didn't know. She would have to try and find out.

She sighed when they had finally entered the room leading to the interrogation room. A large two-way mirror showed a small room with only a table. At the table sat a handcuffed man. Bordering on elderly, the man sat glaring resentfully at the table top, clearly angry though whether his anger was directed at the questioning or his arrest in general was uncertain. The woman grimaced at the sight of the man. She recognized him alright. The guy was, in her opinion, a lunatic. A serial killer who targeted short haired women, killing them by stabbing a knife through a large hooped earring held over their heart, after confessing once he knew he was in the clear, he actually wrote a book about his crimes. He was interviewed, spoke at events, and even tried to get his story made into a movie. Luckily no one wanted to make it. It was embarrassing for the officers. Other than the murders he had a completely clean record. Not even a speeding ticket. Thus they were powerless to do anything. When a crime fitting exactly into his M.O, many at the precinct were overjoyed with the chance to finally shut the guy up. Though looking back on it, it seemed strange for him to commit such a similar crime when everyone knew he was the culprit from the past cases. Oh well, now wasn't the time to question past decisions, it was time to gain information so that they could make better ones in the future.

The woman officer didn't look away from the man as Shiratori spoke to the warden supervising their interrogation. It wasn't until the senior officer turned to her and Chiba that she began to pay attention to him.

"Chiba-kun and I will question him. Satou-san, I want you to watch from here and monitor everything." Satou opened her mouth to protest, only to be stopped when Shiratori rose his hand.

"I know you want to be in here, but I'm afraid that you look too much like one of his old victims for him to take you seriously. It would only hinder us. You've spent a lot of time with Takagi-kun, I want you to take notes like he usually does. Don't worry, you'll question the others."

Silently fuming but recognizing the logic in his reasoning, the female officer nodded and resigned herself to waiting as the other two went into the room to question the man. Opening a police notebook, she prepared to take note, trying hard not to picture Takagi doing the same.

* * *

Satou sighed as the second criminal was escorted out. They'd been there for hours and the only thing they'd been able to determine was that these two men had no clue about the group. After hours of questioning the first man, who claimed he was just eating dinner having done nothing wrong at all when suddenly he'd been arrested, and finally determining that he was telling the truth about being clueless they'd moved on to the second man.

He was a bit.. tamer than the first. He'd confessed secretly to the police, refusing to make a big deal of it with the media, but desiring to confess all of the same. All three of the officers questioned him, but they couldn't escape the end result. He hadn't had anything strange happen to him recently either. According to him, life was normal until the police suddenly arrived at his house, and he'd been unclear for a long time why exactly he was arrested in the first place. The third man would come in any moment, but all three officers feared that this questioning would simply yield the same results.

Satou held back a sigh. Earlier she felt such hope, but now it all seemed so useless. The third man would come in any moment, and everything would be the same as it had the past two times. She leaned back in her chair, trying to recall what she knew about the next man. He was kind of in the middle of the two. His confession had leaked into the media, but he hadn't made a big deal of it as the first had. Everyone knew of his crimes, but again his record since then was clear. Yet another murderer, this man had no rhyme nor reason for his victims, only his murder method was the same. He would lay the victims on the bottom of a bunk bed, then cut away each of the post holding the upper bed in the air, which would either crush the victims or cut off their air supply. She shuddered at the though of the crushed bodies, though she'd never seen any of them. The original crimes had been years ago, and it'd been her day off when the replicate had occurred. Shiratori and Chiba had been there though. Suddenly she narrowed her eyes, an idea striking her.

"Maybe you two shouldn't be in here." She suggested, addressing the two officers accompanying her. The two simply stared at her in disbelief. "I wasn't there when you arrested him, he may be more open to speaking with me, because I didn't really arrest him." Chiba nodded, seeming impressed with her reasoning, while Shiratori looked like he'd bitten into a lemon. Eventually though, they both agreed, and she was the only one in the room when the final criminal, Takumi Sadao, entered.

The man, now fairly elderly though by no means weak, settled down in the chair at the other end of the table. Sitting still as the warden uncuffed one of his hands only to reattach the metal to the table. He glared up at her as the other man left the room, resentment and confusion on his face. Satou bit back a sigh, that was exactly how the other two had looked. Oh well, she opened her mouth to speak, only to be cut off.

"I didn't do it, not this time!"

"Sir, I-"

"If you're hear just to question me some more and have me confess, you're just wasting your time cause I really didn't do it."

"I reali-"

"You can just leave now if you're just going to accuse me. I'm not saying anything. There isn't anything to say! In fact I don't care what you came to talk to me about, you can just-"

"It could prove you innocence!" The woman eventually shouted, effectively shutting the man up.

"... what?" He nearly whispered.

"Recent events show that it is highly possible that the recent murder was done by someone other than the original, you. If you help us it is possible that we could find the actual culprits."

He looked at her dubiously. "Really? And you honestly don't think I did it.. this time?"

"I really want to catch the people who really did do it, for various reasons. If it's not you then we have a different criminal to worry about and I will catch him!" The last words were spoken in nearly a growl, and the man looked startled for a moment before smiling broadly.

"The girl's got spunk! Now, you really think you can get me outta here?"

"If we can find who really did it. If you answer my questions it would help."

"Fire away!"

"In the days before your arrest had you noticed anything strange?"

"Not that I can think of, but you're gonna have to be more specific."

"Had anyone come to you recently asking for information about your past crimes?"

"No I don't think s- wait! Maybe... maybe..."

"What?"

"Its been so long... my memory's failing me but... perhaps a month before I was arrested. Someone came to me saying they were from a magazine. Can't remember what it was, in fact I don't think I even recognized the title. At the time I just figured it was some kinda newfangled one. Anyway the reporter came and interviewed me asking for details about... the murders... They promised to send me an edition when it was printed. Strange... I never did get it..."

The old man was so entwined in his thoughts that he failed to notice the widening eyes and heavy breathing of the woman across from him. Her mind was whirling, was this finally a lead?

"Can you tell me anything else about the reporter?" She asked, hating the small desperation one could hear in her voice. The man, though old, had perfect hearing and recognized the sound for what it was: A lover receiving hope.

"Well then, seems like this is pretty close to home. What? Did whoever he was go after your boyfriend?"

Miwako's fists balled at the man's words. The next time she spoke, her voice was steady and her eyes like steel.

"Just answer the questions." The man chuckled knowingly, but answered none the less.

"If I remember right, he had pretty long hair for a guy. I remember thinking it looked really silky, thought he was a girl at first. It was really light, almost white even though he was a pretty young guy. And there was something else really strange... what was it... Oh! It looked like his nose had been broken then didn't set right. It made his whole face look mushed kinda. I might be able to recognize him if I saw him again. I don't think I ever caught his name though."

"Anything else you can remember?"

"No, nothing."

She nodded. " Okay then-"

Suddenly the door burst opened. "Satou-san," Shiratori began in a commanding voice. " We have to go! The detective kids found another body."

"Detective Boys" She automatically corrected, before she fully comprehended what the man said. "We have to go? What about this case?"

"Megure-keibu says we have to put in on hold. Come on, we have to get there before any evidence is lost. I don't think we can get anything more here either. Thank you for your time." He turned to the older man as he said that, and Satou rose to her feet. She thanked the man as well and followed Shiratori out.

"What about this? We finally had a lead and we're just going to go?"

"You know as well as I do that he probably told you everything he knew. We have other business now."

"But what about THIS business? What about Takagi-kun?"

"Do you think Takagi-san would be happy knowing you were going to walk away from a crime scene where we can find a murderer before he strikes again, just to try and follow leads that so far lead nowhere?"

"No." She knew he would want him to help in the investigation, but she also knew something else. "But do you think that it were me out there, Takagi-kun would stop for anything to help me?"

The elder officer had nothing to say to that, only opening and closing his moth in shock. Chiba was the one who eventually stepped up to talk.

"If he knew that the choice was between doing nothing trying to save you, or helping someone during a case unrelated to your disappearance, he would go where he could do the most good. He would hate it and think of you the entire time, but he would go to the case."

It was Satou's turn to be silent. "You're right." She breathed, and followed then, determined to do her best at the case they were going to, because that's what he would do.

* * *

Despite her resolution, she wouldn't leave the scene for hours. The relatively simple crime took much longer to solve without Conan's helpful hints. Now that she thought about it Conan had been at nearly every case they'd encountered for months. That is, practically every case _other_ than the ones Takagi thought were done by the strange group. Everyone certainly felt his absence tonight. Strangely, Kogoro never turned into the 'sleeping sleuth', though he later blamed it on being worried about Conan. As it was they didn't finish the case until late that night. So late that Megure told them just to leave their reports and go home. They would continue the investigation tomorrow. Satou wanted to protest. She didn't want to stop investigating only to go home for another sleepless, nightmare filled night. But she said nothing. She knew she was treading thin ice already with how close she was to both Conan and Takagi. She had to listen to orders if she wanted to stay. And she had to stay, no matter what. That sentiment was like a mantra playing in her mind as she drove home. She had to stay, no matter what. She had to stay no matter what. She had to stay!

* * *

Little contest like thing! The interviewer the man talked about was indeed a Cat, if anyone can guess his codename I'll send you a super sneak peek of next chapter early! Not the whole chapter of course, just like a commercial. There are clues about his name when they talk about him, and I don't really expect this to be too hard. In fact it may just be whoever reads this first but, shrugs, oh well. Also, the prize is only for the **FIRST** person who discovers his identity. So good luck to all!


	12. Chapter 12

Congratulations to Lion799 our winner, and everyone else who guessed who guessed Persian! The answer was supposed to be in this chapter, but it would've been too long. Sorry.

Thank you everyone who guessed, whether you got it right or not! Also thank you to all of my other reviewers, favoriters and alerters. I hope you like my future chapters as much as you have seemed to like these!

I've got a totally new Pov here, tell me if you guys like it. I had a really fun time writing as this person, though that doesn't mean much for my sanity. I really hope you like reading as much as I liked writing it.

Disclaimer: remialcsiD

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In the office of a seemingly average house sat a large mahogany desk. The desk itself was very impressive, but not nearly as impressive as the man who sat behind it. A man, known for so long as Lion that his original name had faded from the minds of nearly all, sat at the desk, his eyes glued to the glowing screen of a laptop. The computer showed him many things depending on his mood or need. It could show him the order forms from black market weapons dealers, the communication data and raking order of all those beneath him in his organization, files of unsolved crimes he stole from the police, or his plans for future crimes. Right now though, he was watching what he considered one of the most interesting things the screen portrayed.

The laptop showed live feed from a security camera. The original camera was only a few rooms away, but this was much better than actually being in the room. His little captives wouldn't act natural if he was in there. A fact that was both slightly annoying and immensely gratifying. It took him years to gain the aura and poise it took to conduct fear with a simple look or word. He finally had that power though. He saw it in the way his captives, enemies, and even those in his organization froze when he came near. A smirk settled across his face as he recalled how the boy and the cop had stopped dead still when he entered the room, the fear in their eyes they tried so hard to mask.

A ghastly grin lit the man's face as he pictured their expressions, his eyes still glued to the computer screen. Not that his subjects were terribly exciting at that moment. At this time of the morning the lights to the room were still out, they were still "asleep". Heh, as if they could really sleep in a situation like theirs. Every once in a while they would toss and turn, only catching light moments of sleep between waking to their nightmare. The man would go wake them in a while, for now he would simply enjoy the luxury and ease of an early morning. He never was one to sleep much. He much preferred several, pardon the pun, cat naps throughout the day. It was actually already much later than when he usually woke.

Suddenly there was movement on the screen. The man's concentration sharpened as the child rolled over, then opened his eyes as he once again woke from his limited slumber. The boy rose to a full sitting position, his eyes searching the darkness until he remembered where he was and settled down to try and sleep some more. For a moment Lion wondered how the boy recognized the room as his place of captivity. It was pitch dark in there once the lights were off. Perhaps it wasn't by sight but sound. The officer below looked to be asleep, but he could have said something comforting. Lion would never know, there wasn't a listening device in the room after all. There was no need for one. Anyone who went into the cell wasn't coming out, or if they were it was to become one of Them. Perhaps it was a lack of sound that alerted his memories. If he was used to a noise and it wasn't there, it made sense that it would make him recall recent events. If the old man he stayed with snored that would do it, he looked like a snorer.

Yes Lion knew about the man the child stayed with, the "Sleepwalker something-or-other". In fact there were several things he knew about the child. He knew of the childish group he was the leader of that had solved so many cases. He knew how the boy saw things the police did not, and how he gave them hints at just the right time. He had copies of both the newspaper articles and police reports dealing with the child's battles with Kid. He knew that the boy had a penchant for stumbling across crime scenes but that when he was there they were almost always solved. The man knew that the child's parents were in a different country, leaving the boy with family friends. He knew about the family the child was staying with, and the professor whom he seemed to know so well. He knew the boy's grades, medical history, and had a copy of any witness reports he made to the police. He knew everything about the boy. Did he know the boy's name? Of course he did, but that didn't matter. Whatever the boy's name was, he now had a new one: Kitten.

Yes, the child was now Kitten. He was HIS Kitten, and he knew everything about every one of his Cats. It was no coincidence that this child, the one he knew so much about was now his prisoner. He had been keeping tabs on the small sleuth for months. He'd deliberately set up crimes in the child's hometown, leaving bait for the body magnet. Yet for some infuriating reason the child was never at any of his crimes! He was visiting friends in Osaka, or going camping with those children, or following that idiot detective he stayed with to investigate a crime in a faraway villa. What felt like countless times of setting traps and wasting his time telling his Cats to be prepared to capture the boy should he appear had seemed to be in vain. But that was all over now. He had his prize, his Kitten. The unrecognized genius who may someday become Lion, the king, when the original was gone. He was laying there, on his screen, trying to sleep.

Yes Lion knew of the boy's sense of justice and he knew that the boy may fight them, but he also knew that anything cracked when under enough pressure. And he certainly knew how to apply pressure. Besides, Kitten was simply a child, Lion had years to mold the boy into his shadow. Since the boy was now only seven, he may eventually even forget his life before the Copy Cats.

The manic leader was disturbed from his thoughts as he heard footsteps go past his door. That must be Tabby. The man looked down to the corner of his computer screen to see the clock display. Ah, it was breakfast time for his Kitten and the officer. Tabby actually managed to do things on time without complaining about the time for once. Lion allowed himself the barest of a smile. He supposed there really was no reason why he actually help the prisoners to normals times of waking, sleeping and meals. They could be awoken and fed breakfast at noon and told to go to bed at 3 A.M. and they would have no way of knowing. It was for normalcy and simplicity's sake if anything.

The man pushed himself out of his chair and left the room, headed towards the kitchen. On the counter sat a tray with two bowls of oatmeal, still steaming hot. With one hand Lion picked up the food and started walking to the door that hid the cell. A grim smirk settled on his face. The two down there were probably expecting Tabby to bring them breakfast, and thought they would be able to get out of the "deal" Lion tried to make with Kitten the previous night. Well, it wasn't going to be that easy. For a moment his mind wandered to his inferior, wondering where the man went. The lazy bum was probably still in bed. He probably got up just long enough to make the food and now was back to snoring on his bed, the bum. For a second Lion pondered waking him just due to spite and to remind the Cat who was king, but he decided against it. He had more important things to do.

Finally reaching the door leading to the stairs the man turned on the lights, slowly walking down to his prisoners. He relished the way Kitten shot up immediately, completely alert and ready for anything. The officer took a moment longer to get up, but his response was impressively similar to the child's. Lion felt a trill of pride seeing fear flash through their eyes at the sight of him, quickly to be replaced with a touch of horror as they realized what that would mean for their already empty stomachs.

Lion walked slowly to the edge of the cage, his eyes fixed on his Kitten as the child woke fully and turned on him with a glare the man knew hid fear. The boy's eyes followed his, refusing to waver and refusing to lose. The child was extremely alert for just woken up, good. This would make the mental games more fun. Especially so because the child was aware to them now. Yes, being so upfront about making the boy beg could have been considered a bad move, but he had his methods. Now the child knew to play the games, and they could continue the one they hadn't finished the night before. Though he knew that the child would be no more willing today than he had been last night. Oh well, that would change. Hunger would do that, and even if it couldn't protectiveness would once the child saw the hunger of his friend.

Lion felt a surge of annoyance as his concentration was broken when the officer started to stand. Really, did they have to play this every time.

"Don't bother officer, you already know who I want." The man glared at him but continued to rise. Lion growled soundlessly at the disobedience, but was curious enough to watch it play out without punishing the man... yet. The officer stood, but instead of stupidly trying to get the food like Lion had half-expected, he stayed turned towards the bed and simply helped Kitten off of the higher bunk. Lion twitched as he saw the man's lips move, he was obviously whispering something to the child, but he chose not to act upon the annoyance. The officer was of no concern to him. Once the boy was safely on the ground the officer sat back down on the bed, his gaze turning hard and hawk-like as they centered on Lion. Kitten had sauntered towards the door of the gate, his manner boasting of bravado Lion knew was fake. Still, just as he had before the man waited in silence until the boy finally spoke, his words forced out through gritted teeth.

"Are you bringing us our breakfast?" He forced out with a glare.

Lion replied with a superior smirk. "Same requirement as last night."

"Same response." The child said immediately.

"Same results." The man finished snidely, but the child stood his ground.

"Same reaction." The boy finished, then turned back to the bed.

Lion felt a glower coming on but forced it back before either of the two could see. Before he could move however, a familiar growl sounded throughout the small room. A feral smirk found itself on his face. He recognized the growl, perhaps the stubborn child would change his mind now that his very stomach was arguing in Lion's favor. The man saw the boy's startled gaze meet the officers, his steps faltering a moment as he glanced back at the food in Lion's hand. So it was the officer's stomach that growled not the child's. This may work even more in the man's favor. However, the officer simply displayed a small, shy smile.

"Don't worry, Conan-kun. Like I told you, I'm fine." So that's what he had whispered: assurances about the boy refusing food again. He'd thought it was strange that Kitten hadn't thought twice about that decision. Well, that wasn't important yet. He knew that the child would crack. Whether it was now or later would make little difference, though perhaps he would push more at dinner if they were already so hungry. The officer's words had reminded him of something though. Setting the tray he held on a step behind him Lion pointed to the adult in the cell. "You, officer, Come here." He commanded, "Alone." He added as the child turned to him when he spoke. "Kitten, you go sit on the bed."

The child glowered at him, disgusted by the thought of obeying his orders. The man let out a verbal growl followed by a quick command of "Do it!" Reluctantly the boy sat as the officer stood, coming up to stand about a foot away from the gate, "Closer." Lion commanded. The man hesitantly took a small step forward, and Lion simply growled. The officer got the hint though and stepped closer still until he was practically pressed against the gate. "Good."

In the split second faster than it would take to even flinch away, the manic leader had a knife in hand, the blade of which was stabbed into the flesh of the officer's side. He heard a sharp gasp of pain and saw the man's eyes widen in surprise as Lion's hand began to be dotted with dark spots of scarlet blood.

"I don't like whispering." He breathed. "Not in my presence." With a yank he tore the blade free and turned to leave the room. At the top of the stairs without looking back he called, "I'll see you at dinnertime Kitten." With those parting words he slammed the door closed, not bothering to turn but picturing the looks of horror that would be following him.

Rushing through the kitchen the man simply threw the tray with the food on the counter, tossing the blood covered knife after it. Tabby would clean those up later, he didn't have time for that. Hurrying back to his office he immediately shifted the laptops mouse, replacing the screen-saver with his favorite show. The officer had staggered back to the bed, and the child was trying to remove his shirt. Lion felt a small amount of gratification at the sight of the blood trailing from the gate to the bed. He was a professional, he made sure of the position of the wound, glancing his side and leaving a gash instead of a stab wound, the cut was barely under one of the man's upper ribs. I wouldn't kill him, it would hurt but he would survive, hopefully having learned his lesson.

By now they had gotten the man's T-shirt off and Kitten was filling up one of the cups with water from the sink as the officer looked over the wound. He wouldn't be able to see much yet because of all the blood. With a sadistic grin the man zoomed in on the stream, first centering on the wound then moving to the officer's eyes. They were filled with a shocked pain, and Lion knew that when he entered the room again the man's fear would be double what it had been. He then moved over to the child's eyes, his grin only widening. The child's gaze was serious and in charge, he didn't seem effected at all by the blood-spill like any lesser child would be. Perhaps he'd been shocked at the attack, but now that he had work to do he was putting away his emotions. Good, that was what Lion needed.

Zooming out once again, the man saw that the officer had taken the water from the boy and was cleaning the wound while the child crawled under the bed. A moment later he emerged holding a bunch of torn up cloth. The two must have made them to use as bandages after they'd gotten shot. He watched for a moment as the man began wrapping his wound, afterward replacing the bandages on both his and the child's gunshot wounds for earlier. Finally once all of the injuries were taken care of the two began to talk. Lion couldn't hear them, but it wasn't hard to guess what the two were saying.

"Are you okay, whatever-his-name-was-keiji?"

"Yeah, Conan-kun I'm fine."

"I didn't expect him to do that."

"Me neither, but nothing would have been different if we had. Lion is just too cunning and manipulative. We can't do anything when faced with his terrifying power over us." Okay, perhaps he was embellishing it a bit, but even if they weren't saying that they should be thinking it. Ooh, now the child looked all defiant. It didn't take a genius to know that he was professing that he would NEVER join them and become Kitten. Lion had to chuckle. The boy was just so CUTE! He actually thought he had the ability to escape. It was adorable. Though Lion wasn't sure if it was a good thing or bad. It was either a full forced determination that would be a boon to their organization, or a breaking naivete that would have to be beaten out of him.

With a sigh Lion reduced the window showing his captives, leaving it up but putting it in a small corner so that it wouldn't be a bother. With a swift click he brought up his email, noting that a medium ranked cat was requesting an urgent meeting with him tomorrow, then closed it to donate the whole screen to his personal files and contact information. He would see his newest member at dinner, for now he had work to do.


	13. Chapter 13

Okay, I must confess, while writing this I had the attack of the OC's. This pretty insignificant character suddenly had almost a page of writing explaining his back ground. I shortened it to a paragraph, but for some reason, his part is way bigger than I expected... strange...

Thank you all for reviewing, favoriting, and alerting, or just plain reading. I hope you enjoy future chapters, and I'm glad people seemed to like Lion's POV.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the random OC and his kid.

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Satou Miwako glared at the sun in her eyes as though it were the cause of all of her problems. This was, of course, completely useless as the sun had little to do with the kidnapping of her partner/boyfriend. Still, the slightly irritating light in her eyes as she drove gave her reason to glare at something, it gave her a medium for releasing her anger. She had long since realized that glaring at random pedestrians and drivers only gave her shocked, confused looks that made her feel guilty if anything. With a sigh she stopped her useless stare down with the center of her solar system and looked to the area surrounding her car. Her eye was glancing down the sidewalks on the sides of the road when it latched on to the sight of a familiar group walking towards her car. She felt a pang in her chest to know that the group was missing its leader.

She forced a smile upon her face and pulled up next to the gloomy looking children. She had time to try and cheer them up before work. After another sleepless night Satou had no desire to sit at home until it was time to leave, so she'd left early. Ayumi looked up when the car parked close to the little trio. Wait, trio? Hmm, Ai must have stayed home, perhaps worried about Conan. Ayumi's eyes brightened when she saw who it was that parked so close, and Satou felt her phoney smile fall from her face as guilt clawed in her stomach. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, the children would think she had a breakthrough or good news, but she had none. The child seemed to notice the rapid change of expression and realize what it meant, but still she stopped and called attention to her two upset companions. Their expressions brightened then darkened at the sight of the officer, realizing just as Ayumi had that she really had no news.

"Hi Satou-keiji." Ayumi called as the three approached her car. Satou's heart clenched at the girl's dead tone, so unlike her normal chipper voice.

"Hi." The two boys parroted.

"Good morning. Where are you guys off to so early?" They were probably investigating. These kids had caught the detective bug from Conan, the most contagious boy she'd ever seen. It seemed as though detectives literally grew around him. She expected the kids to break off into proud smiles and claim that they were going to find their missing friend. Yet to her surprise no such look came, instead the trios face's morphed into varying degrees of sadness and anger.

"School!" Genta spat as if it were a deadly curse. "Our parents all made us go to school instead of letting us help investigate!"

Satou felt a small amount of shock at both the boy's words and his anger. Though perhaps it was more desperation than anything. Mitsuhiko nodded in agreement with the larger boy's words.

"They said that we wouldn't be able to do anything that the police weren't already doing and it would be better to just go to school instead of running around asking people questions. Besides we're already behind because of some cases we had to skip school for."

"But Kobayashi-sensie would've understood!" Ayumi burst out, "She even calls herself the Detective Boy's manager! They still wouldn't let us go."

"They said we'd just bother the investigation." Genta continued, his voice still grumpy.

Mitsuhiko finished their tirade with " Hakase let Haibara-san stay home and help, but he couldn't convince our parents t let us do the same."

Satou was fairly surprised, she barely knew the children's' parents but as far as she could remember they'd never actually stopped them from investigating. Then again, most of the time they stumbled across a crime it was purely accidental. Still, this was personal, one of their friends had been taken and... oh.

No wonder the parents were worried, this man that the children were so desperately trying to find was a known killer, and he'd kidnapped one of their children's friends. If he kidnapped one, he would kidnap more. These parents were worried for their children. Their stupidly brave and loyal children who would probably confront a fully grown armed kidnapper and murderer in order to save their friend. Their parents were scared, and they had every right to be. Yet she could understand why they would hide their true reasoning from the children. Satou was sure Conan's danger was giving these children enough to keep them up at night, they didn't need to fear for their own safety as well. But looking down at the three young, sad, frustrated faces looking back at her, she knew she had to give the children some hope.

"Okay, I'll make you a deal. If you can come up with any breakthrough or clues that we haven't been able to find yet, you convince Kobayashi-sensei to let you call me and I'll let you guys help."

Instantly the three faces brightened. "Really?" The children chorused, and a small true smile wormed its way onto the female officer's face. She knew that the children probably wouldn't think of anything, but it was nice to see them smile.

"Yes. Now, I have to go. You guys better hurry or you'll be late to school."

"Okay!" The three scurried off and Satou watched their small bodies weave through the crowd for a moment before driving the opposite way. She'd still be fairly early, but not nearly as early she would have had she not run into the children.

A few moments later the woman was walking through the police office, heading towards a reading Megure. The man looked up as she neared, surprise momentarily flickering across his face.

"Ah, Satou-kun, you're here early."

"The um, traffic was light." She replied, not wanting to tell her boss about her lack of sleep. He merely nodded, his mind obviously elsewhere.

"Well, I was looking over your reports about last night. If anything it adds credit to Takagi-kun's theory. The "reporter" described looked nothing like Itoumo, whom we've confirmed as the kidnapper. Which means there was more than one person. Whether it was just two or this whole group idea we can't know."

"Was their any credit to what the man said about writing for a magazine?"

"No, we've check all of the magazines, newspapers, and even web-azines but no one's posted anything about those old crimes. We even called many of them asking about whether it was in mind for future issues but we haven't found anything."

Satou nodded, her mind working furiously. Whether it be because of her intense concentration or lack of sleep she didn't know that anyone was coming up behind her until Shiratori's voice spoke.

"Megure-keibu, what are we to do today?" The inspector looked up at the man's words as Satou jumped in surprise.

"Ah, Shiratori-kun. You're here early as well."

"Yes, Chiba-kun is somewhere around here as well. Ah, there he is." the officer said as the familiar round face came into view. The group waited until he reached them to continue. We can begin investigating any moment."

The portly man nodded, and held up a large stack of papers. "If the people who replicated Takumi's murders interviewed him, then it stands to reason that that is true of other's whose crimes were replicated. This is a list of people who had confessed and whose crimes had been copied but had good alibi's or lawyers and we were unable to arrest them. It also contains a list of others who had confessed and may be targeted by them in the future. I want you thee to interview them and find out if anyone had contacted them about their crimes. Find out everything you can about this group."

"Yes sir!" The officers responded. Shiratori went to grab the papers and the other two officers turned to go to the garage, only to be stopped by the inspector.

"Wait! I know this will probably cost us time, but in response to... recent events I don't think any officers should go to question these people alone. I want you to stay together. Also, I-"

"What!" Satou exploded, "We don't have that kind of time! We only have five days left to save them. It could take weeks to question all those people. We don't have that kind of time."

"You aren't the only group doing this. I have several who are coming to do just what you are going out to do. It's just you three arrived early so I'm letting you get a head start. I would have said this if you had let me finish." He handed the now fairly embarrassed woman about a fourth of the stack. He fixed his face to show a superiors light glare of chastisement, but inside his heart felt lighter than it had since Takagi and Conan had been kidnapped. That was the first bit of the real Satou he'd seen in days, and it was good to know she still had her fire.

"Sorry sir." She mumbled before turning to leave, the other two trailing behind her. Reaching the garage they decided to all take Shiratori's car. It would have been fairly useless to take more than one, and Satou welcomed the chance to be spared having to pay attention to driving. Hopefully tonight she would be too tired to dream, she hoped so at least. All to soon they stopped in front of an apartment building, and the three found themselves on an elevator taking them to the first person on their list.

Reaching the correct floor the officers knocked on the room of the man they were looking for. For a moment there was no response. They knocked again and Satou called out to the man, "Harou-san?"

A moment later a loud voice called out to them from inside the apartment. "I'm coming, hold your horses! Geez, do you have any idea how early it is?" A second later the door opened partially, a chain preventing it from opening all the way. From the crack between the door and wall peeked the stubble filled and disheveled face of a man just waking up. "Can I help you?" he yawned.

Shiratori flashed his badge, "Well Harou-san, we would just like to talk with you about the murder case that happened a few months ago that was identical to you-" The door slammed shut.

"I'm not talking to any officers about that stupid murder a few months ago." The man's voice sounded, muffled by the door, "I didn't do it! I even had the perfect alibi so you guys can take whatever proof or what-not you think you found and-"

"We're trying to prove your innocence!" Satou interrupted. It worked with the last guy after all. Yet to her surprise her proclamation was met with a steady steam of cursing, followed by the man's angry yelling.

"You don't need to "prove" anything! I AM innocent, the court proved me innocent, and I don't care what you want, you can just leave!"

"Please," Chiba suddenly decided to try, "This case is barely related to that one, we just have some simple questioning that will not be directed at accusing you in any way. You would just be doing this as a witness."

"I don't care! You guys didn't listen to me when I said I didn't do it this time, I'm not gonna listen to you now!"

"Sir-" Shiratori began, stopping short when a soft, new voice sounded inside the room.

"Oji-san, wha's wit da yellin'" a sleepy voice mumbled.

"Nothing, Michi-kun. Go back to bed I'll make breakfast soon."

"No! I wanna know wha' the yellin's 'bout, its scawy "

"I'll make your favorite, pancakes, if you go back to your room for a few minutes."

The young voice merely grunted in excited approval and there was a slight pitter patter of feet running across the floor.

Satou's mind was a whirr. That voice could only be a young child, too young for school by the sound of it. Her mind relayed the man's original crimes. A relatively small spree of murders, always targeting women. When he confessed he said that the original victim had been his sister, and he found out that she was greatly abusing his nieces and nephews the day one of them died. In his anger he'd killed her, and because no one knew what he'd done, the children were entrusted to him afterwords and he'd proved to be an exceptional father. All of his following victims had been mothers abusing their children as well, and if there was ever a case that a child had no family to go to, he would take them in.

For years the man's identity as a killer went undetected, though he started simply informing the police whenever a person fitting his old victims would rise instead of killing them. He still took in the children rescued from these situations. Because of his care in the past, he was still able to care for such rescued children, that must have been one of them. Suddenly Satou had a spark of inspiration, she knew what would convince the man to talk to them.

"A child is in danger! You could save their life." For a moment there was silence behind the door, Satou took it as indecision and continued. "Please, we just want to talk." Finally a heavy sigh was heard.

"Fine, just wait a second." There was a small amount of shuffling then the man's voice sounded once again, though this time it seemed to be coming from much deeper in the apartment.

"Michi-kun, I have to do something important I have to do real quick. You're gonna go next door to have breakfast with Ashiya-san, okay?"

"But you said we'd have pancakes!"

"Ashiya-san will make you some. She's a better cook anyways, right."

"Yeah!" The child cheered, his enthusiasm renewed.

A few moments later the door opened fully to reveal the man they'd come for followed by a young child, perhaps four or five years old. The child had dark, tousled hair and large blue eyes that matched his pajamas. The little boy looked up with wonder at the strange people standing outside his door, but his expression quickly changed to one of accusation.

"You made oji-san yell di'nt you!" He said, waving his finger back and forth accusingly. Chiba smiled down at the child and pointed to Shiratori.

"Nah, that was all this grumpy looking guy." said grumpy looking guy simply scowled, making Chiba laugh. "See! He made that face too much and now he's stuck with it. It looks like he just bit into a lemon huh?" The child giggled, and Satou felt her heart lighten at the innocent sound. Even Harou smiled slightly before telling them to wait there and knocking on a door at the end of the hall. While he was gone Shiratori continued to scowl at the chubby member of their group.

"I'll have you know he was yelling at all of us."

"I know, but kids find you scary anyways. I just wanted to make him laugh." Chiba teased back.

"You do know my girlfriend is an elementary school teacher, don't you?"

"Maybe, but even her students like me better than you. Whenever the Detective Boys see me they always hover around."

"They do that to every officer. Besides, no matter what you say everyone knows that they like Takagi-san best."

"Thats just because he listens to whatever Conan-kun says. In fact, did you know that he-"

"Could we stop talking about this." Satou's voice interrupted them, "We ARE supposed to be investigating after all."

"Sorry," The other two officers mumbled, just in time for the man to come back.

"This isn't going to take long, is it? Ashiya-san can't watch Michi-kun forever."

"It shouldn't." Satou answered as the man led the trio into his apartment.

"I have some questions for you first," He began once they were all in his small living room. "You said a kid was in danger, what happened and how does it have ANYTHING to do with either the murder a few months ago or the ones I used to commit?" This was difficult, they didn't want to tell anyone about their suspicions about the group, but it was obvious by the look in the man's eyes that he wasn't going to say anything until his questions were answered. Luckily, Shiratori stepped in.

"We have reason to believe that the murder a few months ago is connected to one that happened the other day. We were investigating it when the child, Conan-kun, snuck off with an officer who was going to question witnesses. The two never came back and we later found evidence proving that they had been kidnapped by the killer. If our deductions are correct we have a week to find them before the officer is killed, but we have no hint as to the fate of the child. However, we see no reason for them to keep the child alive after the officer is killed. And that is assuming Conan-kun hasn't already been killed."

The man was silent, processing the information. Finally, to the relief of all he asked, "What can I tell you that would help?"

"Have you been approached recently by anyone asking about your murders?"

"I don't know. Ever since that one a few months ago, it seems I've been questioned a million times."

"No, before that. Maybe a month or two before your crime was replicated."

"Actually I think... yeah. There was this one kid, he came up to me when I was taking Michi-kun and some of the other kids I take care of to the park. He was about eleven-years-old and said he recognized me from a news article online and wanted to do a report about me and my crimes. When I asked him why he said it was for school, that they had to interview someone and the one who talked to the most original person would get some prize. He only told me his first name, and whenever I tried to ask what school he went to, he would change the subject."

"Do you remember what he said his name was?"

"Yeah, it was Hayao. I remember it because he kinda stumbled on it. At first he said it was Kitt-, but he stopped himself in the middle of the name and changed it."

The three all raised their eyebrows at that. Interesting.

"Is there anything else you can remember? Or anyone else who asked you other than that child?"

"No, no one else. But the kid... hmm, well he did seem really jumpy the whole time. I thought it was just because he was questioning a known murderer, but it almost seemed more than that. As if it was extremely important that he did everything right. He went up to a man after he finished asking my stuff, I think it was his father. I don't remember much about him other than his long white hair."

That caused the officers to pause. A man with long white hair... the reporter the man in jail had talked about! The three shared a glance and questioned the man further, but he seemed to have told them everything he knew. A while later they left with the promise that the man would call if he remembered anything.

Satou glanced at her watch as they drove off. That had taken over an hour, and they still had so many to go. She began to doubt that they would be able to question everyone before Takagi's deadline was up. And she still had her doubts that this was helping to find him at all.


	14. Chapter 14

Okay, I have some bad news for you. I'm going on vacation, so I worked hard to write two chapters this week cause I won't be able to post next week. I am bringing my laptop though, and I have a six hour car drive, so I'll make sure to write _plenty_. You can expect a chapter July 31, maybe. In the meantime, enjoy this chap!

Disclaimer: nwo t'nod I.

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Conan seethed when he saw the dark spots make themselves known on Takagi's side. Their poor excuse of a bandage had done little to stop the blood, and it had soaked through to the officer's shirt. They didn't risk replacing them either, they had little cloth to use and neither had any clue what the sadistic men had in mind for them. Takagi noticed the boy's look and glanced down to see the spots as well. Trying, though not particularly succeeding, to hide a wince the man attempted to settle down more comfortably on the bed. However, the movement only made the wound bleed more. Conan bared his teeth in anger when he saw the dark spots enlarge.

"Conan-kun, I'm fine." Takagi said, attempting to ease the child's mind. "It would've quit bleeding long ago if I would just sit still. It's not like he was trying to kill me." _Because if he was, then I'd be dead._ The man's final words went unspoken, yet the sentiment resounded the room as though he had shouted the phrase. They both knew that until they could find a way to escape, they were only alive so long as the men, no Lion, wanted it that way. Conan's only reply was a gruff nod and growl so low that it was almost unheard.

Takagi sighed to himself. Conan was brilliant, fearless, and level headed even when his life was at stake. Yet he was also extremely protective and loyal to a fault. Takagi had no doubt that if Conan had been stabbed instead of him, the boy would have barely cared about it. He certainly wouldn't have gotten upset or let it hamper his thinking like this. Takagi wondered whether or not the men knew this aspect of Conan, this fierce protectiveness. He wondered how the child would treat them differently after he was gone. No! He couldn't think like that. They would get out, he had CONAN with him for crying out loud. They would get out... right?

Takagi drew in breath for a sigh, only to scrunch up his nose as a putrid smell rose to his nostrils. Conan looked interested at the strange expression before sniffing as well. The child's face morphed into an expression of distaste as the scent reached him as well. It wasn't hard to figure out where it was coming from though; after all, both of them were familiar with the scent of old blood. For that was what it was. The small puddles starting at the door and leading to the bed were nearly dry and in the cramped, stale room the smell of the drying blood was much worse than it should have been after the scant hours it had been sitting.

With a slight sigh Conan hopped to his feet and ran one of the used strips of cloth under the faucet, washing out the blood enough to make it a suitable cleaning rag. Takagi began to rise to help the child, but Conan insisted that he not move until the would scabbed over better at least. As he cleaned the child's grip tightened on the cloth, his knuckles eventually turning white with the intensity of the hold. His eyes transferred constantly from a death glare directed to the stains, then the door, then the floor again. Every once in a while he would send a concerned glance toward his fellow prisoner, but the officer never moved. He simply did what he always did and watched as the boy's glares and anger intensified.

Takagi could see an inner battle as the boy's passionate and protective instincts fought with his reasoning and logic. One side was telling him to get angry, very angry while the other was arguing that anger was useless, clouded the mind, and made you do things you would later regret. This inner battle was not uncommon with the boy, though logic won more often than not. There were, however, times where the boy's careful control would slip and he'd do something brash or shout something odd unexpectedly. That was when Takagi got many of his clues. It was when Conan would slipped the most. However, as much as he wanted to solve the mystery, the child's protective instincts running over could bring nothing good at the moment.

That is not to say that was always the case. He had seen and heard of miraculous things happening because of the brash and dangerous action the boy's instincts inspired. For example he once heard of the child running onto a bus with a bomb on it, but in doing so he saved the life of his friend. Also, who knew what may have happened had he not chosen to drive the car off of that hotel a while ago. Conan's instincts could save lives in some instances, but they could also endanger them in others. In fact, in the situation they were in now they were almost guaranteed to make things worse.

And it seemed that that side was winning. Conan turned to the camera with a snarl on his face, obviously ready to shout at the offending device, or more accurately the man whom he knew was using it.

"Conan-kun!" Takagi said in his most commanding, "police officer" tone. Still, he was immensely surprised that it made Conan stop and look at him. When Conan turned to the officer, he was surprised slightly that the child transferred the angry glare to him as well. The glare only lasted a second before melting to a more neutral look. "Conan-kun, you can't let him get into your mind. At all. That's what he wants more than anything, you. You can't give it to him. Besides..." the officer continued with a nervous chuckle, "I'm pretty sure that video camera doesn't pick up sound."

Conan sat in silence for a moment before speaking, his head only rising enough that the light reflected off of the thick glass of his glasses, hiding whatever expression he had in the glare. "I'm sorry," he breathed, "You're right. I just wasn't thinking. I'm just angry... and tired... and hungry... I didn't mean to lose it. It won't happen again. I won't let it happen again."

Takagi said nothing, feeling as if the child was no longer talking to him but to himself. After a moment of silence the child began scrubbing again, this time not looking up from the red stains littering the floor.

Finally finished the boy stood with the bloodstained rag in his hands and his knees, elbows, and hands stained with the liquid he was trying to clean. Takagi heard himself gasp as the child rose to full height, his eyes caught by the scarlet staining the child. For a moment he saw Conan, no longer a child but an adult, bathed in this scarlet blood as he stood over a mangled form. Half of his eyes were covered by the small frames of modern lenses, while the other half showed an angry glare much like he turned to the officer only moments before. His lips were curled up in Lions sardonic smirk. Blood curled off his half-clenched fingers, but he paid it no mind. There was much more blood on his hands than that which would show from a single kill. He was no longer Conan; he was Kitten.

Lion had done it, he had manipulated the boy's mind until it was his. Despite Conan's best efforts, he was unable to win the battle for his mind. And now he was as much a monster as those he was fighting against.

"Takagi-keiji, are you okay? Does your side hurt?" The sound of the child's young and concerned voice broke the vision, and dissipated some of the horror it brought.

"Ah, no Conan-kun. It's fine. I just- uh, was surprised how much blood there was. Hehe." he scratched the back of his head nervously. Conan watched him dubiously for a while, knowing that the man was lying, but didn't press the issue. Instead he simply walked to the sink to wash himself off. Takagi was left alone to his terrified and guilty thoughts. He knew that Conan would never "turn to the darkside". That the child's mental will was strong enough to battle these men in the long run. He KNEW it. He could feel it in his police gut and in his heart. Truly he knew it in his mind as well, but there was a small part of him that feared. He knew more than anyone the disastrous results that would come should the small sleuth use his mind for crime. During his countless hours of observing the child, he had thought to himself millions of times, jokingly almost, that he was glad that the child was on their side. At the time it had seemed like an innocent thought, for there was no way he would be on any side but there's. Now however, the slight fear of possibility added to the knowledge of the horrors such a brilliant mind could conceive.

It wouldn't happen though. It couldn't, he knew that. It was hunger, tiredness, and fear that was amplifying his worry. It had to be.

Takagi jumped slightly when Conan hopped onto the bed. The boy warily eyed the bloodstains, seeming relieved when they were no larger than they had been before. Takagi smiled at the boy's concern.

"See, I told you I was fine." The two sat in silence for a while, Takagi trying desperately not to bring back the vision. Finally, in attempt to think of something else, the officer spoke. "Do you think he'll be in for dinner soon?" The officer asked, not really caring about the idea of the man coming with food because they probably wouldn't get any anyways.

The child looked up at him questioningly before answering. "I don't know. Its practically impossible to tell time in here. It could be four A.M for all we know."

The officer nodded, disappointed that his attempt at conversation seemed to be ending so quickly. That thought was banished quickly however when Conan spoke once again, his voice coming out whispered and strained. "Are you hungry?"

It was then that Takagi realized that he had probably chosen the wrong conversation starter. Of course Conan would see it as him anticipating food, maybe even begrudging him for keeping them from getting any. Stupid! Conan probably felt bad enough about the officer not getting food, and now he just made it worse. Great.

"Ah! No no no no no! I'm fine! It was just... making conversation..." Conan looked at him dubiously before speaking again.

"Are you sure? Its been a long time since we've gotten enough food." It was true. The last thing they ate was that porridge over a day ago, and there really hadn't been much of that. Before that had been the small boxed lunches for dinner the other day which also hadn't been enough to totally satisfy their hunger. The only thing he had before that was a piece of toast he ate on his way to work that morning. All in all, that wasn't much for a span of two days, especially not when the first day they had spent so much time running around, and after that had spent their time in this cell where fear burned off his remaining energy. Still, it wasn't like they were in any danger of being starved. They had days before they had to worry about that. In fact, Takagi would probably be killed before they had to worry about it. Sure he was hungry, they both were, but they would survive.

A vision of the blood soiled Kitten flashed before his eyes as he answered. "Yeah, but I would rather go hungry then let them have what they want."

Conan looked at the man curiously as he spoke the grim words, but before he could respond the door burst open and he heard the slow, familiar gait of Lion. The man walked towards them slowly as always, in each of his hands a platter with a healthy amount of steaming hot food. Though neither captive could see what the man held, a delectable scent filled the air.

At the scent Takagi felt his empty stomach lurch, though he was too hungry for it to any longer make a sound. From the corner of his eye the officer saw Conan's face fall as his hunger was probably doubled. He thought he heard the child mumble something about 'stupid little kid stamina', and realized that with such a young growing body Conan was probably even hungrier than him. The officer felt a desire to try to boost the child's resolve to aid him in the mental battle Lion's presence ensued. However, before he could say anything to the child a twinge in his side reminded him that he was not welcome to talk in Lion's presence.

With both foes attention undivided, the two spent a longer time than ever attempting to stare the other down, neither conceding under the other's eyes, refusing to back down. The officer simply sat in silent amazement as the tension continued to build. Unfortunately, as the tension built so did a slight tickle in the officers nose. Trying hard to create as little a distraction as possible, Takagi scrunched and unscrunched his nose, even plugging it with his hand when the sensation got worse. However, nothing seemed to work, the sneeze was inevitable. Just as he was drawing in the deep breaths necessary to sneeze, the feeling dissipated and he relaxed without having made a sound... only for Conan's body to jerk with a sneeze less than a second later.

"Ahchoo!" Takagi had to wince, what a time for someone to be talking about them. Meanwhile, it seemed that Conan was attempting to glare at his nose for interrupting the staredown and making him lose. "That didn't count." He mumbled, though it was quiet enough that Lion may not of heard it. Whether he did or not, the man's only reaction was to smirk. Sighing irritably Conan looked back up to the man.

"Can we just get this over with?"

"My, aren't we getting irritable."

The child only mumbled unintelligibly for a moment.

"What's that? I'm afraid I didn't catch what you were saying."

Conan glared before responding. "I'm not going to beg for the food. You already know that."

"Oh? But child, you're so hungry. I can tell. You are so young, still growing. You burn through calories so quickly. You must be starving."

"I'll live."

"Perhaps, but you won't be very comfortable."

"I wouldn't be comfortable if I begged either."

"Maybe not, but you would be full."

The child simply glared at him and offered no comment. His arms folded over his chest, making him appear as a grumpy child not getting his way.

"So, changed your mind?" Lion asked, but he didn't miss the child's small smirk as he did so.

Conan smirked at the man's question. He'd made him ask, just as the man had done when he first tried to brainwash him. Without saying anything, he made the man address him, just as the man had done. Lion, seeing the smirk, realized what the child had done, and for the first time in a long while he felt genuinely thrown. However he hid it as best he could, and swiftly left the room, not even waiting to hear the child's reply.

For a moment the child simply stood, reveling in his small victory. Then he turned to his fellow captive, a small smile on the man's face showing that he caught the trick as well.

"I don't think he was very fond of your attitude, Conan-kun."

"Nope, but he should be glad his little Kitten has claws."

Takagi, though slightly unnerved that the boy had referred to himself as kitten, even jokingly, smiled slightly. "He should have no doubts about that. Or about your reaction to him wanting you to join him. He does know that we are aware of his scheme, doesn't he?"

"I should hope so. It's not like he's really been hiding it at all. A normal, real seven-year old would've figured it out."

Takagi nodded silently, though his mind was busy. He checked up another tally for the times Conan had slipped since they were taken, his mind relaying one simple phrase that stayed with him even when the lights went out and they were told to go to bed. _A normal, real seven-year old... a normal, real seven-year old... a normal, __**real**__ seven-year old _

* * *

**P.S. I am worried that in this chapter they may be a little OOC, and I am sorry if they are and I'll work on fixing it next chapter. I would like to point out though that they haven't eaten in a day, and really haven't had a proper meal in two. Plus they are low on sleep, worried, and both of their brains have been working overdrive because they've been trying to escape and Takagi has been trying to figure out Conan. Therefore, I'm pretty sure they would be pretty irritable. I think its mostly okay though. There is one part that I think is pretty OOC, but I liked the thought of it and kept it. If anyone has advice, I am open eared.**


	15. Chapter 15

Hi Everyone! I'm back a day early! SO, sorry but I didn't get to write as much as I thought. My vacation was more of a 24/7 nonpayed babysitting trip. Don't get me wrong, I love my young cousins but c'mon, the oldest one is eight years younger than me and they are all VERY clingy. Okay, enough about that.

This is fairly filler-ish, but it will probably answer a lot of questions I've been getting and brings in another character who I'm sure you've all been waiting for!

Also, THank you so much for everyone who commented favorited and reviewed! When I finally could get wi-fi I had 35 emails, most of which were from you guys! It both made me really excited and crazy cause I couldn't ever check it. Also, I've been trying to reply to reviews, but I just couldn't for the last chapter sorry!

Anyway, here is the next chapter, I hope you like it.

DiScLaImEr: I dOn'T oWn

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Satou sighed as she glanced at the paperwork on her desk. It seemed like they had questioned people for hours the day before, but she still couldn't see any way this was helping Takagi. They had, however, practically confirmed their suspicions of a group. Nearly everyone who confirmed that they had been approached about their crimes had identified the interviewer as either the child or white-haired man. There had been perhaps one or two others, but the majority was those two. However, no matter the person, the story was the same, always a school project or magazine interview. Megure had told her the other day that every magazine and webezine in Japan as well as many of the major ones in other countries, no one had heard of these murder centered articles. None of the schools knew anything about the boy's so called project either.

The paperwork on her desk was half reports she still had to fill out and half information the others had gathered on their searching. She knew from talking with them that it was just more of the same thing she'd found. Though they were now fairly certain of the groups existence, they still had next to no information about them. They only knew their M.O and what two, three if you count the kidnapper, of them looked like. She reviewed their descriptions in her mind, getting an uneasy twinge when it came to the boy. There was always a twinge when she thought about that boy. There was something unsettling about it, but she couldn't think of what. Of course there was the pitying disgust everyone felt when thinking of a child living out a life of crime, but she felt something more. Some strange unease that came from the though of his criminal child being connected to the kidnapping. She couldn't place the feeling and decided to worry about it later.

She'd had yet another sleepless night and, as was becoming usual, had come early that morning. This time she had driven right past the discouraged looking Detective Boys and had gone straight to her office, hoping to finish the paperwork in time to go off again. They had already questioned everyone whose crimes had already been replicated and many of those whose crimes had not been. Several of these people had been interviewed as well, prompting the officers to warn some of the people who matched the more specific M.O.s. That, in Satou's opinion, had been the most fruitful thing yet to come of this whole questioning endeavor. With another sigh the woman officer got to work on her paperwork, going swiftly through the mountain of forms.

She was just finishing up the last of everything when the yelling started.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN"T HELP? I've been on hundreds of cases before this. I've even been on cases WITH both of them! I'm the great teen detective of the west for crying out loud! If Kudo was here you'd let him solve it!"

Satou smiled to herself, she knew that voice. She also knew it was the voice of someone who could help. She rose and walked over to where Megure was attempting to argue with the hot-headed teen.

"W-well perhaps but-"

"I'm every bit as good as Kudo! 'Sides I know the kid! I can't just sit back and watch while hes been kidnapped going through who knows what."

"We don't want any civilians on this case, and-"

"YEAH RIGHT! You look me in the eye and tell me Mouri isn't doing everything he can, and Agasa, and those kids, and probably every other stinkin' person the kid knows. I bet Neechan is out there right now looking for a kidnapper to karate chop!"

"Perhaps but that just proves that there are already too many non-officers working on this case. Also, practically everyone in this station is technically too close to this case to really be working on it. We don't need one more person like that."

"But I can HELP! You know that! 'Sides, I'm gonna investigate no matter what, so you may as well just let me in so that it can be more productive."

"I-"

"I'll take him with me, Megrue-keibu." Satou finally called out. The portly inspector turned to her in surprise.

"Ah, Satou-kun. You're here early again."

The woman nodded. "Yes, I want to solve this before its too late. He can come with us today, he may be able to find out something that we missed."

After giving the woman a hard look the inspector nodded, "Fine. Debrief him before the others show up and you have to leave."

"Yes Sir!" She saluted, then turned to the Osakan teen. "Come with me to my desk, I'll tell you what we know. Just be warned: it isn't much."

The woman led the teen back to her desk and caught him up with the more delicate information they had obtained. As she told him about this new mysterious organization the teen listened with a grim seriousness. When she had told him all of the information they had, the young detective wearily rubbed his forehead and muttered to himself. "Man Kudo, whats with you and getting tangled up with all of these big criminal groups?"

"What?"

"Oh! Uh, nothing. Sorry, I was- uh, thinking about something else." Satou looked at Hattori suspiciously, but didn't press the matter. Hattori was a horrible liar, which meant that he wasn't used to it. Which meant that if he did lie, it was about something important and even though he was bad at lying, he was great at being stubborn. Pressing the matter would be a fruitless waste of time.

"So what are we doing now?" Hattori asked after a moment. Satou had to fight to keep back her sigh as she answered. It felt like this was a fruitless waste of time as well.

"The only thing we can do is try and find out as much information as possible about this group. We have several people looking into it in different ways. We, Shiratori-san, Chiba-kun and I, have been questioning people we believe may have been contacted by this group to discus their crimes. It looks like today will probably be more of that."

"But how will that help us find them in time! We only have, what, four days left? There's no way we'll find out enough about these people in time just from asking people who aren't even in this group what they know. It's not like any of these people we're gonna question would actually know where one of their hideouts is! This is completely useless, there's gotta be something more we can do!" Satou caught her breath as the boy spoke aloud the thoughts that had been plaguing her. She kept her eyes on the floor as she answered, trying to hide the hopeless sadness in their depths, but her voice betrayed her by showing it all the same.

"I know. But here's nothing else we can do. We tried to use traffic cameras to follow his car but it was an extremely nondescript make and color. There are hundreds of them on the streets and he used a few fairly rural roads. The license plate was a fake, and according to paperwork the house the kidnapper had been in was empty and he didn't even exist. It's like he completely disappeared, and we may not see any trace of either of them until the time limit was up." Four days, that was all the time left. Four days. In four days she would be looking into Takagi's dead eyes, knowing she had failed yet again to save a man she loved. Four days.

Hattori said nothing. He was trying desperately to think of some way to track his friend and the shy officer. They couldn't do it by his car, or by the man's personal record, he hadn't contacted them in any way, and the kidnapper himself hadn't really had any distinguishing features, such as scars or tattoos, they could use to track him. What else was there? Kudo's badge and his tracking devices were all found in that guys house, but didn't his glasses also have a tracking feature? Nah, if that was working then Agasa and the little girl would have found him already. He frowned to himself, had those two been able to find anything? He hadn't talked to them about the kidnapping yet, maybe they knew that it was actually Them. He shuddered. He didn't think it was Them, call it a gut instinct, but the little girl would know for sure. He should go see them. Looking down slightly at a list of people Satou had to talk to today he saw the address of a house he knew was only a block away from the old professor's. He rose his eyes to the gloomy looking officer.

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Anything is better than just sitting around here doing nothing!" He would convince her to go to the professors when they got close, until them he would just have to see what they could gather from the questioning.

The female officer smiled at the boy's enthusiasm. She hated this despair, worry, and sadness. IT made her seem weak, and Satou Miwako was anything but weak. She would focusing on doing for now and she would be strong. She had to be strong. They would find a way, they always did. And now Hattori was with them, the boy who had pulled off miracles nearly as much as Conan, especially when with Conan. When the two young detectives were together it seemed as if the impossible became improbable, and the improbable was possible, likely even. And technically they were working together. Both boys were working to free Conan and Takagi. Though they were not side by side, they were still working together and with those two, anything was possible. And maybe Takagi being there helped too, just maybe.

* * *

Hattori sighed as he stood up to leave. They'd already been to three houses and were finally leaving the one closest to the professors. The man they were speaking to now, a murderer whose crimes had not yet been replicated, had nearly the same story as the first two they'd spoke to. In fact, nearly everything had been the same. At every house they would get upset about the police coming and refuse to talk, then Satou would convince them to speak with her somehow and they would be let in and led to a living room. Hattori was slightly glad that the female officer was there, every time some guy yelled about not talking to the police about anything the detective wanted nothing more than to have his bokken in hand and smack the guy upside the head. He was pretty sure they wouldn't have gotten to far doing things his way. He could tell that she was just as frustrated as he was, she was just hiding it so that they could actually speak to the people.

Anyway, after they were let in Satou would ask them about people coming in and asking about their crimes and they would remember someone talking to them months ago, they would be asked to give any information they could and then Satou and Hattori would leave. This most recent guy claimed to have been interviewed by some kid for a school project. They had confirmed it to be the Hayao that they already knew about. Hattori felt the same twitch of unease that the female officer had about the child, but he too couldn't exactly place it. Whenever he tried he had a mental image of what he imagined the boy to look like next to Kud- no, next to Conan. The two would stand side by side, apparently only a few years of age between then, with mirroring smirking expressions and Hattori would feel a chill run down his back. That was as far as he got however, and put aside those thoughts because they wouldn't help him solve the case in any way.

Sitting in the passenger's side of the car, he turned to speak with the woman driving. He felt a moment of relief that it would be only the two of them. He wasn't sure if Shiratori would have let them stop had he been there. Megure had let Hattori and Satou go alone because the two that usually accompanied to woman hadn't come in as early as she had and they had a boatload of paperwork to do. When the two officers finished they would go out as well, but with a different list of suspects to question.

"Hey, we're pretty close to the professor's house, mind if we stopped real quick?" Heiji asked. Miwako glanced at the car's clock, a little past one.

"As long as you don't mind missing our lunch break. I want to cover as much ground as possible."

Heiji nodded even as his stomach gurgled. He was pretty hungry but he wanted to find the kidnapped boys as much as she did. Besides, who knew how much food Kudo was getting, he could be starving for all he knew.

Satou started driving to the professor's oddly shaped house and Hattori tried to think of a way to get rid of her. He couldn't ask about Them, or the tracking glasses, or anything like that if she came with, but he didn't really have a good excuse to ask her not to come. By the time they reached the house, he still had no clue what to do, he never was good at making stuff up. Luckily the woman hesitated instead of getting out.

"Is this something you want me to come with you for or will you be fine if I go off to get something while you're in there. I'll be right back to pick you up for the rest of this list."

_Oh thank goodness_, the teen though as he got out of the car. "That'll be fine. It should only take a few minutes, just pick me up when you're done." If he had his bike neither of them would have to wait at all, but it was back in Osaka. He headed up to the house as the officer drove away. He only had to knock twice before the door was opened and a serious little girl glared at him.

"What?" Haibara asked, sounding annoyed. Her expression lightened slightly when she saw who it was and she stepped back to allow him to come in. "Oh, its you. Finally got here huh?"

"OI! I woulda gotten here sooner but the train was delayed by a murder and I had to solve it before we could get here!"

"We?"

"Yeah, Kazuha came too, she's with neechan. That's not important right now though. Have you been able to find anything about where Kudo is?" The girl glared at him.

"Don't you think if I did then the police would know about it. I not like some kind of detective idiot that tries to do everything by himself and ends up making everyone worry about them." Hattori wasn't sure if the insult was directed at him or Kudo so he didn't comment on it, instead simply voicing his next concern.

"Well, I thought if it was... you know, Them, then you wouldn't tell the police." The cynical girl rolled his eyes and fixed on Hattori a glare that said 'are you really that stupid'.

"There is no way that its Them. There is way too much evidence. If it was Them then they would have never found that box with the victim's clothes in it. The clothes would have either been brought with them, or the house would have been burned down. Also that traffic cop never would have seen them, and any neighbors who saw anything would've been dead by now. No, this is someone else entirely."

Hattori rolled his eyes. Sure, when you say it like that everything seems so obvious. "What about his glasses, can't you track him on those."

Ai shook her head. "No. We tried but something is jamming the signal. Kind of like going into a tunnel blocks your phone calls."

Hattori sighed. Well, that was just great. He was about to say something else when the table vibrated. Whatever he was going to say quickly changed into, "Hey isn't that Kudo's phone?"

Ai nodded. "Hakase was fixing it. Ran keeps calling. This will be the-" She checked the screen, "Thirty-first missed call. In a few seconds you should hear her voice message if she leaves one."

"Shinichi, please pick up! Please! I know you have a case, but there's a really serious case here too! Please, they can't solve it without you. Shinichi pick up! Please!..." There was the sound of someone grabbing the phone and Sonoko's voice yelled out of the device. "OI! Idiot detective freak! Pick up the phone your wife need you! The brat with glasses is in trouble and he needs your help! PICK UP THE PHONE! Why are you never around when your wife needs you! You don't deserve her! You better get your butt down here and solve this case or I'll make sure she finds someone who'll actually take care of her and the kid! IDIOT, IDIOT, IDIOT!" With that last phrase a dial tone filled the room, and Hattori whistled.

"Wow." Ai nodded, and Hattori continued. "Why don't you use the voice changer? Comfort her or something."

Haibara once again flashed her you-are-an-idiot glare. "Because the voice changer is in the evidence room of the police station."

"You have a spare."

"Yes but it is broken and Hakase and I have better things to spend time on then trying to fix it. Namely, finding Kudo-kun."

"Alright, alright, jeeze." From the corner of his eye Hattori Saw Satou's car pull into the driveway. "Well, That's my ride. I gotta go. If you find any information, call me."

The girl, already back to her computer, only nodded. Heiji walked out, but as he did so he heard her low voice. "Good luck Hattori-kun. Find that idiot, bring him back."

Returning to the car, Hattori was greeted to the greasy yet satisfying smell of fast food. Satou sat with two takeout bags next to her, eating a sandwich one-handedly.

"We need all the energy we can get, and if you've been sleeping like I have been then you're probably running low." Hattori grunted in gratitude and dug into the bags, taking a huge bite of the first burger his hands touched. He mentally sighed in satisfaction as he took another huge bite. He'd barely eaten in his worry for Kudo earlier. He'd been starving.


	16. Chapter 16

Hi everyone! I had an idea! since it is so hard to keep track of time I made up a timeline that I will post on all of the remaining chapters telling what day it is and giving a one to two sentence recap of previous days. Here it is:

Sat: Kidnapping

Sun: Everyone searching and Ran calling Shinichi; mind games and hunger starts; Satou, Shiratori, and Chiba question the men in jail,

Mon: DB go back to school; officers Question the man who tells them of first kitten; Takagi stabbed

**Tues: Hattori arrives; PRESENT**

Wed:

Thurs:

Fri:

Sat: Date Takagi is supposed to be found dead

For those of you who (like me) can't beleive so little time had passed, I looked back and saw that the second day doesn't start until chapter nine... Anyway, I really hope this helps solve the confusion and makes my story easier to read.

I would like to immensely thank all of my readers, favoriters, followers and reviewers, it makes me feel so special when I get an email from fanfiction, so thank you all!

Now, On with the show!

Disclaimer: You all should know by now.

* * *

_They must be starving_, Lion thought as he watched the two on the monitor. Though his thoughts held none of the compassion or worry most would have seeing two people in such a predicament, oh no. His thoughts held only glee as he watched the two weakened males, thinking that they would soon be his. He had just finished offering them breakfast, and other than the usual refusal it had been uneventful, something Lion nearly regretted. Though he supposed it was probably good that they didn't try and press their luck, they certainly weren't letting him have any fun. A slight smile flitted across his face as he recalled the shocked fear of the officer after Lion had stabbed him, though a sigh followed the smile. He probably wouldn't have reason to do anything like that anytime soon, the two were far too wary. The child was giving a little bit of lip now, a fact that both amused and angered the man. It showed spirit, but also gave a window to disobedience. Oh well, the child _would_ respect him; he would make sure of that.

A knock on the door made the man halt in his rambling thoughts. He glanced quickly at the clock on his computer before straightening up and calling out for the visitor to enter. Good, they were just on time, not a minute early or late.

One might suppose that such a criminal mastermind would feel a tremor of worry or fear when an uniformed officer strode into the room, his eyes serious. However the man simply smiled softly as he nodded in greeting. After all, he had scheduled this meeting himself.

"Hello Ocelot. What was so urgent that you needed this meeting so quickly."

Ocelot, fairly young despite his slightly high ranking, at first glimpse seemed to be a rookie officer. He seemed nervous, obviously praying that Lion wasn't one to shoot the messenger. His hand moved restlessly in a nervous tick of twirling the handcuffs still attached to his hip. Lion frowned slightly at the movement, though he knew that it would in no way cause anyone suspicion. It may catch attention, but not in a dangerous way, if anything it would probably make the man seem less suspicious in the long run. However at the moment nothing but the slight jingle of the the handcuff chain sounded in the room and the sound was becoming increasingly annoying. Especially because the lessor ranked man had still not answered the question.

Lion let out a wordless growl, sounding much more like his animal counterpart than the human he was. Ocelot jumped visibly, and blurted out the news he was so frightened to deliver.

"They know!" Lion blinked for a second at the man's outburst, then straightened in his chair.

"Who knows what?"

"The police! The know about us."

"What?" Lion's voice was like a whip, and Ocelot jumped back as if struck.

"I-it was the kidnapping that did it! Apparently the officer you got, Takagi-keiji, actually had suspicions about us and he had a bunch of stuff in this stupid little notebook he keeps notes in. Tabby left the book and the cop's girlfriend found his notes. Now a bunch of cops are going out and talking to people they know got away with crimes. I heard one of the better police detectives say they were practically sure that 'some mysterious group' existed. I wasn't allowed on the case, but I was able to sneak a look on some of the reports one of them left on their desk. The girlfriend got someone to identify Persian and Kitten. Er, the old Kitten." He amended, looking to the floor as if he could see the holding cell where the "new" Kitten sat. Lion simply sat with his fingers entwined together, his gaze serious. This wasn't good. He knew that it had been dangerous to plan so many crimes in such a small area, but he also knew that it had been the best way to get to his Kitten. Well, now he had what he wanted, they could lay low.

"We'll lay low for a while. If no other incidents that match our M.O happen for a while then they will assume they were wrong. We won't do anything for a month or two, then we'll make sure to avoid this area and anywhere that would have more information about us. Small towns at first, try to make it a year or two before we get back to Tokyo, few more before we try anything in Beika." By now he was no longer speaking to the man but himself, though Ocelot hung onto his every word.

"You mean we'll just... stop?"

Lion looked back up at his inferior. "Yes. I have what I wanted, and it would be far more beneficial for us to wait for this to die down. I'll inform the others later. Go now."

Ocelot nodded and hurried off, confused at the man's seemingly calm response but glad it had not been the anger he had envisioned.

Lion sat at his desk in the same position he'd been in when the man left, his mind working quickly over a problem that had risen during their conversation. Oh, it wasn't the one the phoney officer came in to confess. No, he had stumbled across it accidentally.

_They've identified Persian and Kitten. Er, the old Kitten. _There was a new Kitten, and that meant the old Kitten would need to become a Cat. Lion curled up his nose, the boy was still so young. Only ten years old, not nearly ready. Usually he would wait much longer before getting a new kitten, but he wanted this new Kitten, the one with such great potential, now when he was young. Now he was going to make a mere child into a Cat.

A sudden inspiration stuck him. _Kinkalow._ A dwarf cat breed, not even fully recognized as a breed. The name would suit the young boy, and it would allow Lion to keep him under the care of the older Cats. It also kept him from having to see who of the House Cats deserved to be a Wild Cat, because at the moment he saw none who had the potential. Especially not Tabby, the sloppy, over-talkative idiot. Not Persian either if he apparently was leaving such an obvious trail. With a slight annoyance Lion acknowledged that those two may never be more then House Cats. Just like how he doubted that Ocelot would rise above being a Small Wild Cat.

Lion bit back a sigh, it was so hard to find good members these days. He smirked as he looked back to his computer screen. It HAD been hard at least. This Kitten may not even spend time as a House Cat, he had potential to do great things. Potential to be a lion, roaring over his domain. Lion looked at the small figure, still so impressionable, so young, on his screen. The child's slight frame leaned against the bed, too tired and hungry to do much else. Despite how weak the child seemed, Lion could picture perfectly him older, stronger, and in charge. Yes, this child would do so much better than Tiger, the second in command with such power and intelligence but no ambition. He could sense the passion this child was capable of, the desire of power and the ambition he felt. Perhaps this passion was for something else, but it was no matter. Lion knew how to bring people under his power. He had done it to countless others and he would do it with the boy.

Reluctantly the man tore his gaze from his prize to the officer. So, this man had suspicions of their group. Too bad he wasn't smart enough to tell anyone before it was too late. Still, it was slightly impressive that he found out about them at all. Perhaps the officer was more intelligent than he had thought. After all, Kitten seemed to trust him. Lion wasn't worried though. Intelligent or not, the officer would be dead in four more days. Lion would do it for himself.

For a moment a sick smile fit the man's face. He could feel the cool gun in his hand, his finger resting on the trigger as he watched his prey. The officer, handcuffed and in a suit similar to the one he usually wore, would struggle, weakly if Kitten continued to deny the man food. If the officer bothered to think on it, he would be grateful that the badge was not to be branded on until after his death, Lion following the original's methods to a T. He probably wouldn't think about that though, not in his dyeing moments. Lion would raise the officer's own gun until the sight rested on the man's forehead. The struggles would increase slightly then, though both Lion and the officer would know that it was in vain. Finally, after a sweet moment of relishing the man's fear, Lion would pull the trigger. With an explosion of sound the bullet would tear through the man's head. Blood would splatter on the walls. A small amount would splatter on Kitten's face and the child, who had been watching with mute horror, would scream. And that was when the boy would begin to break.

Lion's sick grin widened until it mostly teeth. That was, if he couldn't break him before that.

Then the grin ended to be replaced by a sigh. He had to get back to work, and not everything he did was as fun as messing with the mind of his newest member. It was time to focus on the duller aspects of his job so that he could have more fun come dinnertime. Perhaps he would press even harder tonight. Sure the boy would never be in any real danger of starvation in this week of being with the officer, but the child was so weak and lethargic. Perhaps if he had more energy Lion would have more opportunities to show the boy his place. Yes, he would press harder tonight.

Sending Tabby a quick message changing the night's menu, Lion finally got to work.

He would have to get Kitten/Kinkalow and Persian to come in so that he could change the boy's name. The transition between Kitten and House Cat was a personal ceremony between the Kitten and their mentor. The others would hear of the change but not be present. He would call the two to this location tomorrow and preform the ceremony here.

Lion glanced slightly at his computer monitor, where the current Kitten sat. Oh, this could be interesting. The new Kitten and the old, meeting. Yes, this could definitely be interesting. A low chuckle sounded in the room as the man picked up his phone and contacted the future Kinkalow's mentor.

"Yes? " Persian answered.

"You are coming to location Tabby's Scratching Post tomorrow at noon. Bring Kitten."

The line was quiet for a moment, then "Do you have the new one?"

Lion felt the beginning of a seethe when the House Cat questioned him, but he knew the man asked so that he would be prepared for what was going to happen. "Yes. Which means your Kitten must become a Cat."

"Sir, I know he's not ready." Lion heard the submissive undertones in the man's voice. Persian didn't want to go against Lion's command but he knew it would be worse if he let the child go with inadequate skills.

"So do I. Do not doubt me, I know what I am doing. He will not be set free from your mentor-ship."

Persian was quiet for a second, debating with himself.

"Tomorrow at noon at Tabby's Scratching Post?"

"Yes. Don't be late." Lion hung up, and turned back to the computer, forcing himself to minimize the feed showing Kitten and the officer. If he didn't he would never get any actual work done.

Even if he didn't need to call anyone in for a naming ceremony he would have to organize everyone together soon. He would have to tell them about the problems regarding the officers knowing about them, and how they had to lay low. He could tell them about it now in an email, and he would, but he also wanted a formal meeting to give them a more detailed plan. He also had to show off his new prize. He smiled slightly at the small window on the side of his screen. He would wait until the officer was dead, no need to rush anything. Plus he almost felt as though he wouldn't technically own the child until this officer, the boy's last remaining link to his old life, was gone.

Before sending out an Email he mad sure that neither Persian nor his apprentice would receive it and added a bit about the young ones name change. He could tell those two the information they would miss when they came in tomorrow.

As he sent the message he heard the loud roar of a Lion vibrate through the room. With a slight smile he picked up his phone. Perhaps his ring-tone wasn't exactly subtle, at least it was still amusing.

"What?"

"I've got news." A voice nearly as fearsome as Lion's answered. The leader smiled, ah Tiger had called.

"What? And if its that the cops know about us, then I already know." Tiger grunted slightly in reply, though Lion couldn't say if it was surprise or if that was what Tiger had intended.

"No, its about Abyssinian. Again."

Lion growled. The Cat had already made two dangerous mistakes, and if Tiger was calling then it was likely he'd made a third.

"What happened this time?"

"Idiot attempted to pull off a robbery by himself. He got chased by a girl and some teenager and practically led them to one of our Posts. He got lucky and lost them, but it was close."

Lion growled. That idiot Abyssinian! He tried too hard to go his own way, and it turned out like this every time. Yet the man possessed such skill when he was following orders that it was difficult for him to eliminate the man. Especially now, when he had a job he wanted the man to do.

"I have an assignment I want to put him on." Tiger growled in dissent, not happy with rewarding the inerrant man with a job. "However, I want you to watch his every move. He makes one wrong step, goes left instead of right, speaks to one person a second longer than necessary, anything, you bring him here and I'll take care of him. I'll send you information on what I want him to do, make sure its soon."

Lion waited until Tiger gave a grunt of agreement before hanging up, his attention once again on the video. If things went how he expected, Kitten may see what happened to mistakes early on.

Lion looked down as his computer beeped, informing him of a new message.

Panther. Lion growled, he did not trust this woman, and he had no need to. The Cats were the small fish in the pond at the moment, they still had to kowtow to the sharks. The Black sharks. Making Panther a Cat was something of a peace treaty. The B.O didn't bother the Cats but they knew what they were up to. It was a fairly good way of keeping the fighting of these groups to a minimum... that didn't mean he had to like it. Or trust her, the devious blond who was always going on about secrets. Oh well, it would be a necessary appeasement until they were sharks themselves. It would only be a matter of time. Growling, he looked to the message.

"So, this means you have finally obtained your new Kitten?" Lion growled yet again, that wasn't one of the things he had to keep them informed of. This wasn't any of their business.

"Yes, though that does not in any way concern you."

"Where?" She sent in reply.

"As I said, it doesn't concern you."

"Now, now. Don't be like that. It would benefit you to answer me. After all, a black cat is bad luck."

Yet another growl erupted from the man's lips. This woman wouldn't ask where Kitten was unless it would benefit her. She wanted his Kitten.

"He's MINE!"

"I know, you caught him, he's yours. Lets just say he interests me. Now, where?"

Lion wanted nothing more than to deny this woman the information, to refuse to tell her where his prize was, but they were still just fish, and she was a shark. Besides, she knew where all of the hideouts were, she would find him. It would be better just to tell her and get it over with.

"Tabby's Scratching Post." She sent no more messages after that.

Lion shuddered in anger and hatred. That woman...

Suddenly there was a low knock on the door. Tabby stuck his head in. "Their dinner is ready, if you want to give it to them while its hot." Lion smiled and rose, finally he could get to the fun.

* * *

To make sure there is no confusion on the matter I would like to point out that they are NOT part of the Black Org, they are independent but the B.O is using this treaty like thing to keep an eye on them because they keep an eye on everything. They are two independent criminal groups, the CopyCats are just smaller.

Also, if all the shark stuff confuses people (Like it did with my friend who reads these) It was just an analogy, not another group of anything.

Thank you for reading!


	17. Chapter 17

Hi everyone! I don't really have much to say this time so... enjoy my story and thank you to all of my readers, reviewers, favoriters, and followers!

Time Line:

Sat: Kidnapping

Sun: Everyone searching and Ran calling Shinichi; mind games and hunger starts; Satou, Shiratori, and Chiba question the men in jail,

Mon: DB go back to school; officers Question the man who tells them of first kitten; Takagi stabbed

**Tues: Hattori arrives; PRESENT**

Wed:

Thurs:

Fri:

Sat: Date Takagi is supposed to be found dead

* * *

Takagi held back a sigh as he allowed his head to roll back. He was so hungry. He wasn't as tired as he had been, the exhaustion from the previous nights giving him a deep, dreamless sleep. He'd been too weak to dream. He felt too weak to do anything really. Not that there was much to do in the nearly empty room. The terror that he had felt had given way to a monotonous and constant boredom. Conan seemed to still by attempting to plan an escape, but the officer's tired mind had given up on it. Given up on anything other than solving the mystery of Conan, not that the boy was giving him much to work with that day. Sure the child was hiding his brilliance less and less, but Takagi already knew that the boy was a genius. He needed something more, something to take his mind off of the vision of Kitten forcing their way into his mind.

Grasping at straws in attempt to rid himself of the vision, the officer blurted out the first thing that came to his mind, Satou. He wondered what their friends and the other officers were doing now. He wondered if they even knew who kidnapped them.

"What do you think is happening out there." He nodded absently towards the door of their confinement, knowing the question wasn't very clear, but also knowing that Conan would understand.

"They're probably all really worried. Especially Satou-keiji and Ran- Ra- Ran-neechan." The officer's eyebrows raised at the boy's near slip, but chose not to mention it for fear of him clamming up and leaving the two in the suffocating silence.

"I hope they're doing okay. They really must be worried sick." Conan nodded silently in reply, his expression suddenly too grave for a child of his age. His thoughts centered on the girl. _She's already cried too much over me._ Takgi, noting the boy's distressed look, hastily spoke to try and direct the conversation away from the girls.

"I bet the Detective Boys are plenty worried too." Conan lost his sullen air, snorting in amusement before replying.

"Yeah, they're probably getting in everyone's hair."

"Well, there are probably a lot of people searching. I bet nearly every officer in Japan has a lookout for us. As well as several private detectives. You certainly make a lot of powerful friends." Takagi froze as he spoke, suddenly worried that he had said something the boy wouldn't take lightly. To his relief Conan simply rolled his eyes.

"You have no idea." A moment later his face fell again. "Not that that matters considering how few leads they probably have. We completely disappear when we're on a case, kidnapped by a group that no one knows exists. The culprit could be anyone, we could be anywhere. Who knows what they did with all our stuff. They probably don't even know exactly when we disappeared."

Takagi nodded in a dejected agreement. For a moment he thought longingly of his notebook, nestled who knows where. Writing stuff down always helped him think, and he could use it. He could also have shown Conan his notes on some of the group's recent crimes. He knew it probably wouldn't have led to much, but he could hold onto the hopes that it would have helped the child with a breakthrough. He wondered where the book was now.

Takagi's head shot into the air as the door opened, his gaze flowing up the steps despite how he knew precisely what he would see. The sight may not have anything special,but the smell certainly was. The cutting, spicy smell of curry wafted to the prisoners, increasing the already prominent hunger pangs. Takagi cast a nervous glace at Conan, seeing the boy's eyes locked on their dinner. The officer didn't know if it was the child's favorite food, but it was certainly one of the things Agasa and Ran made for him most often. Conan seemed to especially relish Ran's curry, though that was hardly surprising knowing what a good cook the teen was. Now the boy's attention was locked on the heaping plates sending such delectable smells throughout the room.

Takagi wanted to whisper to the boy, _Don't worry, it's probably not half as good as Ran's. _But a slight tearing at the wound in his side reminded the officer that he was not welcome to speak in Lion's presence.

However, the man seemed distracted by something, that or he was trying a different approach. Usually the instigator of the mental games, Lion chose to ignore them. Instead he spoke immediately once he got to the foot of the stairs.

"I'm sure I enjoy our little power struggle, mental battles even more than you do. However, we wouldn't want you favorite meal to get cold."

"It doesn't matter, cause I'm not eating it anyway."

"Now, now Kitten, there is no need to go hungry for such an idiotic reason."

"If I'm so idiotic then you probably don't want me, you might as well just let me go."

Lion smiled patronizingly at the child, as though chuckling at the attempt, though even Tabby would have known that the child wasn't being serious. "I'm sorry I can't do that. I know that you aren't really stupid, despite how well you act it. Why don't we cut the act?"

"I'll quit acting stupid if you do." Lion quirked an eyebrow and Takagi winced. Conan had been lippy lately, his frustration and exhaustion breaking down whatever walls stopped the attitude from going through the childish mask. The officer winced at the thoughts of the repercussions of "Sweet little Conan-kun" saying something like that to Ran. The boy wouldn't live another day. Lion didn't look too happy about it either, though for the moment he was able to keep calm. Takagi had to wonder how much longer that would remain true.

"You may want to hold your tongue, Kitten." The boy smirked slightly.

"Cat's got my tongue?" A bright flash of light showed as Lion pulled out his blade.

"That could be arranged. I advise that in the future you think of what position you are in before you speak." The cell was silent for a moment before Conan whispered, his statement coming out nearly as a question.

"You wouldn't do that. You don't want a Kitten who can't meow." Lion smirked.

"Perhaps, but _he_ doesn't need a tongue." The felon jerked his head to the officer still sitting on the bed. "In fact, if I remember correctly it was something of an annoyance the other day."

Conan glanced back to the officer, the bandages from when he'd spoken the other day seemed to pop out at him. The child glared at Lion, but wisely said nothing to aggravate the man. Lion waited a moment to see if the boy would speak, then when it seemed he would not the man smirked and continued. "Nothing to add, Kitten? Perhaps you're hungry?"

"I'm not going to beg you for dinner. It doesn't matter what it is, or what you say."

Lion straightened to his full height, his eyes traveling for a moment across the small room. Takagi and Conan watched him silently. Suddenly Takagi found himself looking the psychopath in the eye. Lion smirk deepened slightly, and Takagi felt a shudder rack through his body.

"That's so sad Kitten, I had no clue how selfish you are." Both Conan and Takagi tensed, but Lion didn't seem to take notice. "Your poor friend here, he's so hungry. Such a strong, noble officer, he must have told you that he was fine but I know otherwise. Think of how you yourself feel, he is even worse. After all, you both have had the same amount of food, but he's so much older than you. He needs so much more. The man must be starving. I know, I have seen so many go hungry in this very room, sometimes even to the point of death. Speaking of death, he doesn't have much time left. It is so sad that you cannot put your pride aside to make his last days slightly more comfortable."

Lion paused for a moment to gauge the boy's reaction, and he was not disappointed. Conan looked back to Takagi, his eyes wide and worried. The boy bit his lip in thought as the promise of receiving food finally seemed superior to the condition of having to beg. Takagi tried to shake his head and signal to the boy not to do it, but he could see that all it would take was another push. He knew Lion could see it too.

"You want to make the man suffer as he counts the days to his death. Perhaps it won't be so hard to train you after all if you could do that to a friend. The man will die hungry knowing he was starved on his last days by you, someone he was trying so hard to protect."

"Please..." A low, nearly silent voice mumbled. "Please will you give us our dinner?"

Lion's smirk widened to a Cheshire grin. "What was that? I'm afraid I didn't hear you, you'll have to speak up."

Conan looked up to the man with hatred in his eye, his words forced out through clenched teeth. "Please. Please give us our food."

"Give us our food what?"

Conan grit his teeth audibly, his very body exuding disgust. "Please give us our food... Lion-sama."

Lion's grin widened even still, somehow looking overjoyed and smug at the same time. "Of course, Kitten. All you had to do was ask."

Conan growled at the man, a noise far too like Lion's for Takagi's taste, but Lion paid no mind, instead leaning down to unlock the small food gate. Conan waited as the man passed the food through the small opening, but when he turned around with the food in hand, Takagi saw Kitten in the boy's place. The man forced himself not to shudder as the vision of Kitten flitted back to Conan. Every time Lion won, every time Conan would give in, Kitten became more and more of a reality. And Takagi was unintentionally pushing the boy to this fate. By simply being there he made Conan more susceptible to Lion's tricks, made him more Kitten. The man's breathing intensified slightly. If Conan were lose and become this man's apprentice, it would all be his fault. The officer was the one Conan was getting the food for. Takagi was making Conan become Kitten, it was going to be all his- NO!

Takagi finally met Conan's eyes. He saw the hate the boy had for their captor, the despise he felt at following the man's orders, and most importantly the determined resolution that the man would never have him. One look into those eye calmed the officer. He was getting tired, seeing things. His hunger and weakness was clouding his judgment. Despite not being happy that Conan had given in, the food was a welcome arrival.

Conan laid the the two trays on the bed before climbing up himself. "Itadakimasu." The child mumbled quietly, almost sarcastically, before actually eating. The officer smiled at that, though he supposed this was as grateful he had ever been to receive food. Silently he added his own cheer to Conan's, then he too began to eat.

The room was deadly silent as the two ate, both so focused on the nourishment that they didn't dare say anything. It would cut into eating time. Meanwhile Lion simply stood watching the two with a self-satisfied smirk adorning his face.

All too soon the plates were bare, the two captives felt both disappointment that the food was gone and relief as strength began to once again flow through their limbs and nourishment went to their brains. Once they were finished they put all of the dishes on one tray as they had the first night, though they were not foolish enough to attempt hiding their utensils. Conan stood and started towards the door, Lion still looking on with that smirk.

"Well Kitten, did you enjoy your meal?"

The boy shrugged slightly before putting up a smirk of his own. "My favorite meal? Wow you must have really been getting desperate. What was gonna be next, ice cream?"

Takagi's eyes widened slightly, maybe they should have held out for another day.

Lion simply smirked even more as he knelt by the door to retrieve the trays. Conan set the trays on the floor, prodding them with his foot so that he could stay well away from the man. The memory of being grabbed that first night was still fresh in his mind. Lion chucked.

"Don't fool yourself Kitten. If I truly wished to grab you as I did the force day I would not have to resort to trickery. You would have no choice if I told you to come to me."

"Perhaps, but I'd still fight you every step. And I will never, ever stop."

"We shall see." Lion rose, taking the plates in hand as he started up the stairs. "Make sure to rest up, you have some important guests coming to meet you tomorrow. Perhaps one more than I had planned on coming." He said the last bit nearly under his breath, irritation clearly showing through. Conan and Takagi shared a look, but Lion paid them no mind and simply continued up the stairs.

As per usual the two detectives waited until the man had left completely before speaking.

"It doesn't seem like he wants those 'visitors, to come tomorrow, at least not one of them." Takagi began speculatively.

"Almost like it wasn't his choice, like he was commanded to, but who could be a more powerful cat than the lion? Could it be that they are a branch of an even bigger group?" For a moment Conan's mind was flooded with the names of various liqueurs, from Gin to Sherry to Vermouth. Could it be- no. Their were so different, the Cats were so sloppy. If this was the work, then Takagi would already be dead, and so would that officer who stopped their car. No loose ends. The Cats definitely weren't part of the B.O.

Conan had a feeling that they weren't a part of any other groups either. Lion seemed like someone who wanted to be in total control. Conan couldn't see him kowtowing to some Master of all the Animals they called Noah or Doolittle or something. Conan smiled slightly at the thought of various animal based criminal groups. The Cats could get away with it because of the play on words with copy cats, but other animals, no. Run, its the Fish! No, it just didn't make as much sense. It wasn't as intimidating. (Somewhere in a cleverly hid room behind a painting, one Kuroba Kaito shuddered as though someone had voiced one of his greatest fears.)

Conan knew they were working alone, and Takagi felt it as well. A gut instinct told them so. But then, who could this unwanted visitor be? Who were the welcome ones? Takagi sighed, asking these questions to themselves wasn't going to do much good when they had no clues to base any ideas off of. After a moment Conan seemed to give up as well.

"I guess we'll see who they are tomorrow."

"Yeah," The officer agreed. Silence reighned once more until Conan spoke again.

"Ran's curry is much better than that."

"I thought that would be the case... Do you really think he would have brought us ice cream next time?" Conan smiled slightly but didn't answer, his mind already on other things.

"I suppose it's good that we got some strength back. Both physically and mentally. Starving ourselves stupid wasn't going to do anything. Even if I hated having to get the food we should put it to good use." Takagi nodded, though internally he was screaming at the boy. _Good use? Like what, sitting any trying to figure out how to escape just like we have been doing for the past few days? There isn't anything we CAN do to put the food to good use. _But he said none of that, instead his mind going back to the subtle slip the boy had yet to realize he made. What happened to Ran-**neechan**?

* * *

On a lonely stretch of highway all was silent save for the steady roar of a speeding motorcycle. The bike was pure black, as were the cloths of its rider. Long platinum blonde hair flowed from the pitch black helmet, and beneath the shadow of the visor, ruby red lips smiled. So, it seems Silver Bullet-kun has gotten himself in yet another situation. They would meet once again. Not tonight, the mysterious woman had a job to do tonight, but nothing would stop her from seeing the boy tomorrow.

She smirked softly as she recalled her conversation with the man known as Lion. The fool was really convinced that the boy was his, and that he would become the man's perfect apprentice. How little he knew. The boy he was playing with as though he was a simple kitten was in truth a dangerous wild cat that even the king of the jungle should fear. The child was a saber toothed tiger in disguise.

A low chuckling sounded, though it was drowned out by the roar of her cycle. The man would figure it out soon enough. She had said that she would acknowledge the this "Kitten" was Lion's, which meant she was not to take him or aid him in escape. She could break her word on that, but she could also stick to it. She had no doubt that the boy could and would break from Lion's hold on his own, and it just may be interesting to see what he did. But it would be interesting to see the boy's face as she helped him out of one of the sticky situations he so often got himself into. To help the boy or to watch him as he helped himself, which would be better. A grin shown beneath the visors dark window, she knew exactly what she would do.

You didn't expect me to tell you what she decided, did you? After all, A secret makes a woman, woman.

* * *

Before anyone asks: No, they would have not gotten ice cream the next day.


	18. Chapter 18

I know everyone was hoping for vermouth, and she is coming but not yet. For now we'll see whats going on with Hattori and the police. Wait a few chapters, I want to watch you suffer with the cliff hanger, MUAHAHAHA!

Thank you everyone for reading and for reviewing! Also for all of you who alerted and favorited this story, I love getting emails from this website! THey make me feel special.

Disclaimer: Still not yet.

* * *

Time Line:

Sat: Kidnapping

Sun: Everyone searching, questions the men in jail, Mind games and hunger starts

Mon: DB go back to school, Question the man who tells them of first kitten, Takagi stabbed

Tues: Hattori arrives, Conan actually accepts food.

**Wed:Present**

Thurs:

Fri:

Sat: Date Takagi is supposed to be found dead

Hattori grumbled as he continued through the precinct. He really didn't like mornings, especially when he'd slept so little the night before. As usual he'd slept at Mouri's, but this visit had been very different from his past ones. First of all he'd spent the entire night restless, unable to sleep knowing Kudo was in danger. Second, Ran had called her mother to inform her of everything that had happened and the woman had insisted on coming over to the detective agency to help and to comfort her daughter. The woman had also insisted on making dinner. Hattori shuddered at the memory, how someone who could cook as good as Ran was related to that woman he would never know.

To make everything worse they hadn't even talked to everyone on that stupid list the day before. Maybe two houses after Hattori stopped at Agasa's they ran into a robbery. Some idiot was trying, in the middle of the day mind you, to steal from the house across the street from the man they were questioning. If that wasn't bad enough, the guy had been good. He'd almost been able to sneak right past Satou and Hattori, it was really just dumb luck that the man got seen at all. Satou had been turning to scar her surroundings when she saw him sliding silently out of a window, a bulging bag hanging down his back. She had yelled out to him of course, and after an extremely shocked look back at them, the man had taken off, his hand still gripping the bag tightly.

Of course Hattori and Satou had chased the man, they almost got him too. Heiji was closest, only a few steps behind when he faltered slightly on the unfamiliar Tokyo roads. By the time he regained his footing the guy was gone, completely disappeared. They had to report it and between that and a bunch of smaller thing getting in their way, the two never returned to their initial investigation. The crook also had yet to be found.

Hattori's grumbling became even more heated as he recalled those events. Just his and Kudo's luck that a crime would hinder an investigation to find the height-lacking Holmes. Well he supposed it could've been worse, there could have been a murder. Or a dead body falling out of the sky, he was in Tokyo after all. It seemed dead bodies always fell from the sky when Kudo was near. THAT WAS IT! He just had to walk around Tokyo, then when some dead guy fell from out of nowhere, Hattori would know he was close! ...he really needed more sleep.

Hattori stopped his grumbling for a moment to try and remember which way to go. He'd been to the police department enough to know his way around generally, but he'd never been where he was going now. He hadn't really needed to. He knew he technically should have been looking for Satou or one of the other officers in order to help, but he had something he wanted to do first.

The little sleep he had been able to get had been riddled with nightmares of Kudo trapped and tortured, maybe even dead. His small, childlike frame completely helpless, leaving him at the kidnapper's mercy. Without any of his gadgets, Kudo was physically as helpless as any normal first grader. He had to see what chance Kudo had of holding his own. He had to see for himself whether or not his gadgets were all truly taken. Ah, here he was the evidence room.

The teen looked to the left and the right. He technically wasn't supposed to be here, but he had to see for himself the clothing the kidnapper had left behind. No one seemed to be paying attention, not that many were around this section of the building this time of day. With a sigh of relief the teen began to reach towards the door, only to freeze when he heard a sound come from behind the door. It was soft, but he knew, someone was in there. He stopped and let out a large, frustrated sigh. Now what was he going to do? He had no clue when the officer in there would leave, and eventually someone would notice a dark skinned, Osakan teenager hanging around the evidence room. He would have to find a later time, or come in tomorrow. Tomorrow... after another day had passed and they were just that much closer to the deadline. He had to do this as soon as possible. He may see something, notice something everyone else had missed. He needed to see what little evidence there was to this case.

Suddenly the detective noticed something. Other than that small sound a few second ago, nothing else could be heard from the room. That wasn't right. Unless trying to be otherwise, officers were rarely soft-footed. They would tromp around and make noise, moving things in the room. Especially here in the police department, their domain. What reason would someone have for being so quiet unless... they were sneaking around too! Maybe Hattori could talk to them, work out a don't-rat-on-me, I-won't-rat-on-you deal with them. He smiled, then he could actually get the information he needed now.

Hattori reached out and began to turn he door knob.

* * *

Abyssinian stalked silently across the room, his mind relaying the orders Tiger had given him the night before. The man had called after his little slip up and he had not been happy, that much was certain. His voice had contained more growl than human words.

"_We've decided you get one more chance, but just one. If you don't do things perfectly, then... well you know what will happen."_

"_Y- yes sir! I promise you will not regret giving me another chance, I'll do everything perfectly, better even! I swear you won't regret-"_

"_Shut up and listen, House Cat." The title was spoken with the disdain of a grievous insult, and Abyssinian bowed his head to the man so much higher up in rank. Tiger continued, "The police suspect us, they have a hunch that we exist. Lion wants you to sneak in to the evidence room and the room where they store their files and see what they found out. Don't, I repeat DON'T, steal anything. That will just make everyone suspicious. You have to make copies of what you can and take pictures of what you can't. Get in, find what you're looking for, talk to no one, and get out. Got it?"_

"_Yes sir!" _

"_Good, I'll see in front of the building first thing tomorrow morning. Don't mess this up."_

"_Yes sir! I swear, you will not regret this! I-" Click. _

_Abyssinian had stared at the phone for a moment before sighing in relief. He'd though he was a goner, but they gave him another chance. Immediately he began to prepare for the next day. He had to make sure everything went perfectly. _

Now here he was, in the evidence room. He'd already gotten the files out of another room, and now he was seeing if thy had any actual evidence about the Copy Cats. So far he wasn't seeing much, but he didn't dare hurry and overlook something. The man froze as he heard footsteps heading towards the room he was in. It couldn't be! He'd planned perfectly, this was the least likely time for anyone to come into this room. Who could this be? In his panic the man's hand brushed some small bauble, it made a small noise as it brushed the table top.

Abyssinian's heart froze. For some reason the footsteps froze as well, no longer heading to the room. The man forced himself not to sigh, instead continuing his silent search, hoping whoever was coming had left, but speeding up his search just in case.

Suddenly the door began to open. Abyssinian's hand grasped around the nearest thing he could use as a weapon, a large bat. Glancing around the room once more to make sure there wasn't anything about his group in there, he hefted the bat and prepared to strike.

The door seemed to open slowly, as though the person on the other side was unsure, but finally opened all the way and a figure stepped forward. Abyssinian attacked, the bat flying towards the hapless victim, only to step back in surprise as the attack was expertly blocked. The person even moved into a professional stance, instinctively shooting out as though they held a weapon as well. Abyssinian stepped back as the boy focused on him, glad that he didn't have the weapon.

"YOU!" The teen yelled. Crap, it was the guy with the cop from yesterday. What was he some king of cop in training? The thief swung from above aiming at the teen's left shoulder, knowing that someone with his training would sidestep. As the teen did that, the man followed the bat and ran past the startled boy.

"HEY!" The dark-skinned boy yelled, beginning to chase the Cat. Abyssinian ran through to the offices, pushing past anything that was in his way. Footsteps sounded behind him, rapidly coming closer and closer. With a shock of fear he remembered that this was the one who almost caught him last time. The man pushed his legs even faster, suddenly throwing the bat back at the boy. He heard it clatter to the floor as the teen jumped over, not even slowing. Abyssinian cursed, this was not how this was supposed to go. As he ran through the building he heard the sounds behind him increase as more and more people realized what was happening. Soon he found he had to dodge cops rather than just pushing them away. Finally he reached the door, bursting through and gunning for the alley where Tiger was waiting for him, the hot-blooded teen still at his heels.

As he turned the corner he heard a grunt of surprise and pain from the teen, and the familiar sound of a body hitting the floor. Abyssinian finally slowed to a stop, turning to see the teen on the ground with Tiger standing over him, a small staff-like weapon in his hands. The higher ranked man immediately began to move, dragging the House Cat to a van parked on the other side of the alley as police flooded the road.

The two were gone in seconds, going at full speed and not slowing until they were miles away. By that time Abyssinian had finally caught his breath.

"Thank goodness you were there, he almost got me."

"Yes, he did. You messed up. Again." Abyssinian's heart stopped at the implications of that sentence. This had been his chance at redemption.

"W-w-what? You can't really mean- I had everything planned perfectly! I got the information and they'll never even know I was in any room other than the evidence room. I had it timed and everything! This was the least likely time for anyone to go into that room! He probably wasn't even supposed to be there. This wasn't my fault! I-"

"Abyssinian,"

"W-what?"

"Shut up." The dark wood grain of Lion's small staff was the last thing the man saw before darkness erupted.

* * *

Hattori rubbed the knot on his head as officers surrounded him, asking questions and searching for the thief. The Osakan grimaced as he touched a tender spot. Whoever it was must have had an accomplice with a getaway car or something. How else could he have knocked him out and gotten away so fast? The real question was: who was that guy what did he want? Officers were searching to see if anything other than the bat he'd attacked with had been taken, and were looking up to see if their was any significance in the bat other than just a handy weapon for the time.

Hattori had told them that it was the same thief as the one he saw yesterday, but Satou had been in the break room getting a cup of coffee and hadn't seen him to confirm it. She had heard the commotion though, and she was now standing next to Hattori, trying to help him get to his feet. The teen waved off the help, standing on his own before informing the woman completely of what had happened. She was shocked that it was the same person who they had seemed before, and it didn't settle well with either of the two.

It seemed like this was too much of a coincident that something like this would happen now, when Conan and Takagi were missing and so much else seemed to be happening. Then again, as frantic as they were they would probably connect anything to the case. There wasn't really anything to connect the two events, but a sixth sense stirred in each of their minds, telling them that something was up. Suddenly Satou turned to one of the officer's meandering around.

"Go check the records room and make sure nothing was moved or stolen, especially about Takagi-kun's case." The man gave a quick salute and rushed off. Satou glanced towards Hattori, as if asking if she was doing the right thing or just being paranoid, but the Osakan himself didn't know. The man came back a while later reporting that nothing seemed to have been touched. The two gave each other a glance and sighed, the whole investigation on the thief was winding down, and it wasn't really their job anyways.

"Well then I guess we'd better finish talking to the people on that list we got yesterday," Satou grumbled. Hattori nodded unhappily.

"I guess that's all we can do." Yet for the moment his mind was till stuck on this robbery.

"It's strange though. When we saw the thief yesterday I'm sure he was alone. Why would he have an accomplice today? Could he have been looking to steal something so important that he needed backup? Or maybe he was stealing something _for _someone else and that person was the one who knocked me out. Then again, it could be that he asked for help simply because of the added danger of breaking into a police department." He looked up to his momentary partner and saw her face concentrated into an expression of thought, thought he immediately knew that she would be unable to really add much to his list of theories. Not like Kudo could. Heiji bit back a bitter sigh, he really wanted his friend back. Before the woman could truly form any ideas he interrupted her train of thought. "Never mind, its probably completely unrelated. Lets just go." Satou looked at him in surprise but shrugged, he was probably right.

"All right, my car is in the parking lot." The teen nodded and followed the woman to her car, about to get in when suddenly an officer sprinted towards them, his face flushed with hurried excitement.

"Thank goodness you haven't left yet, you have to come quick! It's urgent!"

"What happened?" The female officer asked.

"Megure-keibu got an email!"

"... What's important about it?"

"The guy who sent it claims to be the original criminal behind the officer murders!"

Satou and Hattori both rushed to Megure's desk, the other officer hurrying behind them informing them of what was going on.

"We had some officer's questioning the original suspects of the officer murders to see if one of them would offer any information to see if it would help us capture them, but no one confessed or offered any information. Apparently one of them must have been the real deal. We don't know who though, they sent an email from a brand new address, and as far as we can tell it was sent from an internet cafe. We don't know anything else about it other than what they said in the message."

Finally they reached the man's desk, several officer were crowded around it, craning to see the message.

"Ah, Satou-kun! Hattori-kun! There you are. Come over here, you two need to see this."

The two forced there way through the crowd, finally reaching the table where they could see the computer and the message it showed.

_Officermurdersculprit fakewebsite. com _

_I hear someone has been attempting to copy my legacy and I don't like it. I also hear they have gone beyond what I have done and have kidnapped not only an officer but a child as well. I don't like that either. You will have one chance tomorrow to talk with me, don't mess it up. If you can convince me that it will be worth my time to help, I'll tell you how I went about the murders a few years ago. If you can't convince me, then you are on your own. _

_Look for the video chat user name that is the same as this email address tomorrow at 12:15, don't be late. _

_-Original culprit of the so called officer murders_

Satou stared at the computer, joy at the revelation swamped by horror that the man would not give them any useful information until the next day. "What is he doing waiting for tomorrow to speak with us? He of all people know that there is a deadline!"

"Calm down Satou-kun!" Megure urged, "Takagi-kun has until Saturday, that gives us two more days after this man contacts us."

"No, he will be _found_ dead on Saturday! That means he'll be killed Friday, the day after this man talks to us. H-he'll die in two days." _And I can't do anything to stop it._ The officer looked around to each other, eyes wide with worry and fear. They hadn't realized the deadline was so close. They only had two more days, they were running out of time and it seemed they could do nothing to stop it.

* * *

Before anyone points out that no one would put that as their username I would like to point out that he made that account for the purpose of telling the police who he was and contacting them as the murderer. It is not his normal email. Thank you!


	19. Chapter 19

HI everyone, sorry if this is a little late. I had both Volleyball and work this week, and an 11 hour tournament this Saturday. Plus I got into a new fandom so I didn't write as much. Oh well, its here now so I hope you all enjoy this long awaited chapter! I really hope I did an okay job with it so review and tell me what you think! I have to go now, I'm late for work!

Thank you for everyone who read and reviewed! I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!

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The lips of a woman clothed in black curled into a smirk as she removed her helmet, allowing her flowing blonde locks to fall free. Swinging one leg over, she dismounted her bike, glancing at a sign in the corner of the parking garage. There was plenty of parking in the garage of the scratching post, but she chose instead to park here and walk the remaining block to her destination. Sure she loved her bike and would have loved riding it to the house, but the sleek black machine with its fearsome roar was flashy, and the Cats didn't like flashy. They preferred sneaky and subtle. Not that Vermouth cared what they preferred, but the noise would be noticeable and recognizable, and the last thing she wanted was for her little Silver Bullet-kun to know she was there before she could peek in on him. By the time she would get there she would have missed all of his best facial expressions, and where would the fun in that be?

No, she wanted to surprise him. Her smirk only widened as she reached the house, standing in front of it a moment before she went in. The woman wanted to time this well, she knew that Lion had an appointment at noon, and that he would probably show off his little "prize" for his guests whether she wanted him to or not. After all if she got too pushy he could call That Person, and Vermouth had no real excuse for seeing the boy, at least none that she wanted to tell Him. She also didn't want to come in too early when Lion would be waking them, she wanted to speak to the child without that man's interference.

Her smile slipped slightly as she continued to watch the house, seeing no sign of life and knowing she never would. Lion liked to make his hideouts seem empty, places where no one would look. Not even the nearest neighbors would know he was in there. It was one of the man's few true skills.

"Mam, are you looking for someone? I think you have the wrong address, my mommy says that house is supposed to be empty." A young voice suddenly spoke, Vermouth whirled to see a young girl about Silver Bullet-kun's age looking up at her curiously. The woman smiled slightly. She had time, might as well have a little fun.

"Oh, I know. I actually was friends with a girl who lived in that house. At least I was until that accident happened."

"A- accident? What happened?" The child asked, her eyes alight with excitement and a glimmer of fear.

"Oh, I don't know if I should tell you. It might scare your young little mind."

"No it won't! I'm really, really brave!"

"Well... okay, it you're sure. Apparently, it was just a normal day, everything was fine, until suddenly there was a large crash! My friends mother had fallen down the stairs and hit her head, causing a fatal wound. My friend and her father had called an ambulance, but as they tried to comfort the dying woman, the chandelier above the staircase fell, crushing the two. They both died instantly. When the ambulance arrived they were all dead, no one has been in the house since_._"

The child now looked up at Vermouth with terror in her eyes and the woman made herself look very concerned. "Oh dear. I'm so sorry child, I thought you told me you were brave enough to handle it."

"N-n-no I am! B-but the other day I saw a shadow go past that window." Her breath was hollow and scared, and her finger pointed to the window of what Vermouth knew was the kitchen.

"Oh dear. I suppose that poor family never found peace." Lion would owe her for covering up this little slip up. Who knew what would happen if that got out to the right person.

The child squealed in terror, and Vermouth chuckled showing a facade of an amused adult. "Don't worry, I was only joking. It was probably just a trick of the light."

"R-right." The girl said, but it was obvious her mind was locked on the 'haunted' house.

"Well now, aren't you going to be late for school? I'm sure your classmates will be worried about you."

Suddenly the girl's eyes widened. "My classmates! I could- You're right! I'm going to be late! Bye!"

Vermouth smiled. Well, that was enough wasted time, Lion should be done by now. She looked back to the child once and a larger, much more satisfied smile filled her face as she watched the girl rush to school. She allowed herself a small self-satisfied chuckle before turning back to the house and slinking slowly towards it. She pushed her encounter with the girl out of her mind, she had more important things to think on now.

In the building she heard the sound of a door closing. Well, that was better timing than she had thought. Silently she glided into the kitchen to watch Lion as he frustratedly dropped a tray still full of food onto the table. The man turned, grumbling under his breath, only to jump in surprise as he noticed the woman.

"Panther," he spat, "Impeccable timing as ever." She simply smirked in response. After a moment the man continued. "Let me guess, you want to see Kitten."

"Yes, I am fairly interested in you newest little member. I would relish the chance to speak with him." Her grin showed that she knew that she would get what she wanted. The man grumbled but knew he was in no position to deny her desire.

"Fine." He turned to lead her to the boy, only to stop when a firm hand gripped his shoulder.

"Alone. You can watch all you want on the silly little camera of yours but I am going down to speak to him myself."

The man growled, a sound that inspired fear into many yet had no effect on the woman before him. He turned sharply, tearing his shoulder out of her grip. "You know where to go."

The woman smiled, she loved seeing the cocky man put into his place. Though now it was much more satisfying than it ever had been before. Perhaps she was angrier at the man than she realized for taking her little Silver Bullet-kun and claiming the boy as his own. He was hers and hers alone, the man had no right to claim him.

Ignoring her possessive thoughts the woman heading towards the door she knew would lead to the two captives. She would ignore the officer for now, after all he wasn't nearly as impressive as her true objective. Though, it might be fun to mess with his mind as well, just to see the child's reaction. She chuckled to herself, this could be fun.

Vermouth slowly opened the door and walked calmly down the stairs, her only expression a slight smirk. The child however, was much more expressive. As the door opened both of the captives looked up in curious surprise as the door opened so quickly after Lion had left. The officer's expression had not changed when the woman entered, but the same could not be said for the child with him. Conan's eyes widened and his fists clenched, a look of pure fear and horror on his face. Then the boy's face shifted, forcing the terror out to be replaced with a serious, hate filled glare. Vermouth inwardly smiled, though her outer expression never changed. Save for the moments when he was surprised the child had a poker mask to rival Kid's. He had tight reign over his emotions, but Vermouth knew what buttons to push to make those reins loosen.

There was utter silence in the cell as the woman sauntered down, eventually ending up half-leaning against the chain link door and smirking down at the small child within. The child glared at her, but she could sense his fear, his worry about what her being her meant about the Cats and what it could mean for him. She smirked; it would be fun easing some of his fears while raising the others.

"Well well Silver Bullet-kun. If I knew you were this easy to catch I may have tried harder."

From the corner of her eye the woman saw the officer give the boy an incredulous look, surprised that she knew the boy, or more accurately, that the the child knew her.

"From what I remember you've never tried to catch me, in fact you had the perfect chance when I was unconscious in your car and yet you let me go free."

"Yes, I was focused on someone else. Funny how well you do protecting that traitor and how bad you are at protecting yourself." She chuckled and Conan glared up at her.

"I was focusing on something else."

"Ah ah! That was my excuse. Find your own." She laughed before continuing, deciding it was time to abate a few of his dark fears. "And you don't even have the excuse of being kidnapped by a true opponent like us. Instead one of those foolish Cats got to you." Once again a laugh interrupted her words. Now Conan simply looked confused.

"What? You mean your not... they're not... but then why..." A feral grin lit Vermouth's face. She prided herself on being the only person, save his girlfriend of course, who could perplex the boy to such an extent. She had turned the intense genius into a blabbering idiot.

"Did Lion tell ever you what I was called in his silly group? Panther, a cat that is known for their inky _black_ fur. The name is no coincident." Suddenly the boy's eyes were slightly unfocused, his chin rested in his grip as he went into deep thought. When he spoke, mumbling to himself, his voice was so quiet that even the man in the cell with his wouldn't be able to hear.

"But if he knew about Them, and that you're one of Them then why would he let you- unless he had no choice. They made him make you a member, to monitor his group."

"Bingo! Of course it had never been much fun until today." She brushed her hand along the chain of the fence door, and Conan growled in reply. "Now now, you may want to be more polite to me. It seems you are in a fairly sticky situation after all." The boy grumbled to himself, still not comfortable with her presence.

"So are you going to help us out of here or not? After all, your Silver Bullet is useless if its still in the gun safe."

"Tsk tsk. So impatient. I'm afraid I told Lion that I would not come between him and his little pet. Though I think we both know that I'm not seriously going to stand by word on that. However, if you escaped now then, well the suspicion would certainly be on me and I can't have that. Also, I think you could use a little punishment after getting captured so easily. Besides, I have all the time in the world to do something. After all, your not going anywhere."

"What are you talking about? We only have two days left!" The boy snarled, but the woman continued to smile as though this were all just a game.

"Correction: HE only has two days left, Lion plans on keeping you alive. It doesn't concern me whether or not your friend here lives. You, my little Silver Bullet-kun are the only one I'm worried about."

Conan stared at the woman with wide eyes, his breath coming out in gasps. It was obvious that he hadn't expected that answer from the woman. The officer on the other hand did not seemed surprised by her casual disregarding of his death, as if he had come to terms with his fate. Instead he looked up in her with continued wonder and curiosity. For the first time since she entered he spoke, though it was not to her.

"Conan-kun who is this, and how do you know her?" The woman laughed and answered the flustered man's questions. As much as one could expect a person like Vermouth to answer.

"How do we know each other? Well my dear officer, if this child is Holmes, then I am Moriarty, or at least a piece of him. And as for who I am, well, a secret makes a woman, woman." Conan rolled his eyes slightly and mumbled something about her overusing that line but Panther paid no attention to him. Instead she continued to speak to the officer, her small smirk always present. "Besides, you should be grateful, Takagi-keiji, if it weren't for me your precious little girlfriend would be engaged to Shiratori-keibu."

"EH?" The man shouted, seeming more upset about that than the mention of him immanent death. Vermouth simply smirked at the wide-eyed man. "Yes, she was seconds away from losing a bet when Conan-kun here used me to trick them into thinking that you had arrived. You remember that day, don't you?" The man stared at her incredulously, but seemed too shocked to say anything. Beside him, Conan grumbled.

"I wouldn't have done that if I knew who you were at the time."

"Ah, yes. That was around the time you began to suspect me. It was the wig wasn't it?" The woman asked, absentmindedly running her fingers through her hair.

"Among other things," The boy nodded.

"Hmm." For a moment there was silence, each person seeming to ponder their own thoughts. After a while, Conan questioned the unpredictable woman.

"Won't Lion think its odd that you have so much... interest in me? He may not be up to your guys' standards but he's not completely stupid. Won't he tell your boss that you know me?"

The woman scoffed, "That man wouldn't dare contact Him over something so trivial. People have been killed for doing less than that. He wouldn't care anyways. What is so wrong with me speaking to a mere child? Lion would get laughed at while he was being killed." There was a small moment of silence in the room until Vermouth looked to her watch.

"Well, I believe my time is up. You have another appointment coming in shortly. Ta ta!"

"Wait!" Conan called after her. "You mean you seriously aren't going to help us?"

"Your skills must surely be slipping, Silver Bullet-kun if you need my help so badly. You should be able to figure a way to get you and your friend out of this yourself. As for me helping to get both of you out, well I'm afraid he knows too much about things he shouldn't."

"He doesn't know ANYTHING! All he would get information from would be this conversation and anything he got from it would be guesswork at best."

The woman shrugged. "No loose ends. I won't help someone who knows so much to escape. You're an exception of course, my little Silver Bullet."

Conan was seething with anger. "You guys aren't as good as eliminating loose ends as you think. I know living proof, after all-"

"AH AH AH" The woman interrupted. "I believe we both have secrets we want to keep, eh Shin- ah, I mean Conan-kun." With a final chuckle and a smirk the woman turned to leave the room, her mind perfectly supplying the picture of torn rage and embarrassment on the boy's face as he realized what he had almost given away to the man who shared his confinement. Well, that had been fun. She left the house without bothering to speak with Lion, stopping only once she got to the sidewalk. She looked back to the house and winked, knowing that Lion would be watching her leave.

With that, the woman turned traced back her steps from earlier until she had reached her parked motorcycle. Within seconds the bike's fearsome roar thundered once again as she took off, making sure to drive past the Scratching Post that held the two captives. She wondered if they could even hear it in their cell. It was no matter, Lion would hear it and be annoyed by it and that was reward enough.

As she drove she passed by many sights, and the smirk she hid behind her helmet steadily grew.

There seemed to be a large commotion at the police department. She caught a bit of conversation at a red light and heard that there was a breakthrough about the Takagi/Conan kidnapping. Interesting, she would have to check that out.

In the window of a famous cafe sat the dejected looking girl Angel, surrounded by two friends.

A tan teen ran with fire in his eyes towards Agasa Hakase's house, his hat set firmly on his head.

A well known group of first graders stood arguing in front of their school at recess, their moral seeming to be deflated by their missing leader.

Finally she saw the sight that she was looking for, and with a fully formed feral grin she tore through the streets, her cycles roar reverberating throughout the area.

Conan looked up sheepishly, not wanting to meet Takagi's eyes after that what he had almost given away. However, the man seemed to be deep in thought.

"Takagi-keiji?" The boy questioned, and the officer jumped slightly before looking down to meet the child's gaze.

"Hmm? What is it Conan-kun?"

"What were you thinking about?" The boy asked, worry coloring his tones.

"Oh, ah J-just what that woman said about Satou-san. I always wondered what happened that day." He laughed nervously, his arm reaching back to scratch the back of his neck awkwardly. That was a complete lie of course. He had been pondering all of the revelations that conversation with the frightening woman had brought. That small meeting brought a clearer picture of the boy than he could have hoped to gain in months of his observations, but it brought more questions than answers. Still he couldn't let Conan know that he had paid so much information to the woman's cryptic hinting, he would get even less answers. For now he would let Conan relax and think that he knew nothing. Though he wouldn't have much time left to solve the Conan case, only two days and he would never help on another case. Two days. The man shuddered, he needed to distract himself. He knew that talking to Conan about the woman now would be useless, he would be too guarded. Still he had nothing else to do, and he had to talk about something besides it would be strange for him not to question the boy about the woman. Avoiding a subject could sometimes be even more suspicions about bringing it up.

"Who was that, Conan-kun? I asked earlier but her answer didn't make much sense."

"Shes a really, really bad person! I caught her stealing something but she ran away before I could call the police to come and get her! I've seen her a couple of times since then, but she's really sneaky. She lies a lot, don't believe anything she says." As the officer had predicted Conan had reverted to his childish camouflage. The story wasn't a complete lie though. He had first seen her as Vermouth "stealing" Haibara and she had escaped before he could call anyone for back up, though Agasa had showed up quickly after.

"How did she help with the bet though? And what did you mean you didn't know who she was at the time?" True, there wasn't much point in asking any of these questions but the man knew that the boy would give half-truths more likely than full lies and if he could pick out what was true then he would have more answers and hopefully less questions.

"She helped with that before I knew she was a bad person! I didn't find out until later." Another half-truth, he hadn't known that she had disguised herself as Aride.

"Ah." The conversation may have continued, but just then the door at the top of the stairs opened. The "other appointment" the woman had mention had arrived.


	20. Chapter 20

Okay... I'm pretty sure you all want to kill me right now... but you CAN'T! Cause then you would never know how the story ends! Still, I'm really sorry about how late this is and how short... and fillerish... NExt chapter is better I PROMISE! School started so it was hard to find time to write... really, really sorry! I may not get newchapters out every week now. Probably more like every week and a half or two weeks. I'll try to get it as soon as possible though! Also, sorry for not responding to a lot of reviews! I'll try to do better for this chapter! I still love EVERYONE who comments!

Thanks Akira Verity for PMing me and making me get off my lazy butt to write! I hope you enjoy this chapter, next one will be better and hopefully sooner!

* * *

A loud bang sounded as Hattori slammed open the door at Agasa's house, the sounded once again when the door shut.

"Yo! Where are ya?" The Osakan called throughout the house, craning his neck to spot the two inhabitants. It wasn't long until he heard two sets of footprints coming up the stairs.

"Ah, Hattori-kun!" The kindly professor greeted, seeming surprised at the teen's invasion of his home.

"This had better be good." Ai grumbled, seeming only annoyed.

"The station just got contacted by the original murderer of those officers, turns out if we can convince him to agree to it, he'll tell us how he did it and remained undetected. He'll be calling tomorrow to have a chat using the computer. We just have to convince him to do it." This shocked the anger out of the seemingly little girl's face as she simply looked at the Osakan in surprise. Surprisingly, it was Agasa who killed the slightly hopeful mood.

"Knowing how it was done will not necessarily help us find them." The portly professor said sadly, and with a drooping heart Hattori had to admit that the man was right. It was trying to find out information about the group all over again. None of this was _really_ leading them to kidnapped detectives, but what else could they do? Hattori let out a heaving sigh.

"I know." He sighed again. "Nothing we're doing is actually helping. Kudo is probably going to die, just because we couldn't figure out where he was. He could already be dead." The tan teen lowered himself into a chair. "This whole case is just messing with my mind, I don't know what to do about it. We're getting next to no actually helpful leads. I feel like I'm just _missing _something. Something important. Feel like that with those stupid break ins too. Especially the one at the station..."

"What break-ins?" Ai suddenly interrupted, her voice deadly serious.

"Hm? Oh, I don't really think they're that important. I haven't thought much about them with Kudo still missing. The other day we were questioning someone and the house next door got robbed, Pretty well done considering it was the middle of the day. Ran into the same robber trying to steal something from the evidence rood. Doesn't look like he got it though. Pretty good that time too, only reason he got caught was that I found him. And I wasn't even supposed to be there."

The mini-scientist's eye's were wide.

"What about the room with the reports, was anyone in there at the time?"

"I don't think so. But I heard one of the officer's say that they checked it out and nothing in there had been touched."

"That doesn't mean that nothing was seen. Think about it, did anything in the evidence room look disturbed?

"Other than that bat he used to attack me? I don't think so. Everything was accounted for at least."

"Nothing looked like it was touched and yet you know he was in there. What makes you say he wasn't in the other room as well."

Hattori had to admit that she had a point. But still... "You would have to be a real professional to be able to do that."

"Yes, a professional. As in, maybe someone from a LARGE CRIMONAL GROUP. Worried about being found our for some reason. Like maybe the police finally noticed them."

Suddenly Hattori was on his feet, his eyes wide as he cursed his own stupidity. "DUH! He was- ugh! And I let him get away." He suddenly turned to the door with a fierce fire in his eyes.

"Where do you think you're going?" Haibara asked as he moved to the door.

"I'm going back to-"

"TO what? Search for someone who disappeared a few hours ago? Distracted and an idiot you may be, but if there was anything that you could have used to say where to go, you would have found it then."

Hattori groaned as he sank back into the seat. "How could I have not figured it out? You made it seem so obvious." The girl smirked.

"I have a lot more knowledge about the inner-workings of an organization that either you or Kudo-kun. I made it seem obvious because for me, it was. For you, not so much." She smirked softly and turned to leave. "It would be safe for you to assume that everything you guys know, they know you know." With those parting words she walked down the steps. Agasa stayed up to speak with Hattori as well as give him something to use to record the conversation with the murderer so that they could have a copy to analyze. Once the man gave the teen the device, Hattori rubbed his head in embarrassment.

"I actually came to get a key to Kudo's house. See if his dad had any files on the guy we're supposed to talk to. Now I think I'm going to go back and look over everything from the robbery this morning, but if you don't mind I'll be back later for the key."

Agasa nodded, beckoning the teen to another room where the professor pulled out the key Hattori desired. "I'll just give it to you now. Just bring it back when you're done. Oh, and remember to lock up, Okiya-san is gone for the week and I don't want the house to be left open."

"Don't worry." Heiji yelled as he began walking out the door, waving once back to the old man before leaving for the station. He knew that the little girl was right, he wouldn't find anything he hadn't this morning. He still wanted to try.

When he arrived at the scene he found it was unsurprisingly empty. Most of the officer's had considered it simply as a failed robbery attempt. By now, Hattori knew better. He scoured every inch of the scene where the man had made his escape, and charted his movements up to the evidence room where he still found nothing useful. There was a small trinket that had been moved on the table recently it looked like, probably the very thing which made the noise attracting him to the man's presence. Oh well, everything was as he expected. There was nothing he noticed now that he hadn't earlier. He felt anger wash over him directed at the man who knocked him out. The man who had taken away what could have been their first _real_ lead. Oh well, there was nothing more to do here. Might as well just head back to Kudo's house and look through those police records.

Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to see Satou smiling wearily down at him.

"I talked to Megure-keibu and most of the other officers and convinced them to let me and you speak to the man tomorrow. I have a feeling that we are the ones who can really convince him to help. Will you be here?"

"Course I will. I was gonna be here whether I had his permission to be or not."

The woman's smile got a little more sincere before fading off into a frown.

"We will find them, won't we?" She whispered, her eyes downcast. She spoke softly, fearfully, as if she hadn't meant to speak at all. Hattori closed his eyes slightly as images passed through his mind. Ran's terrified calls coming though Kudo's phone, the bags under Haibara and the professor's eyes, all of the officers desperately following every lead, Kudo himself, standing tall and defiantly. He almost seemed to be glaring, saying:"Come on, a case _this_ important and you can't even solve it?". Hattori's stare hardened.

"We'll find them, definitely."

* * *

Ran sat with Sonoko and Kazuha near the window if a cafe. Three untouched drinks sat in front of the downcast girls. Ran's phone rested like a stone in her pocket, but she wouldn't touch it. She knew that any attempts to call _him_ would be met with the same heartbreaking failure as her earlier ones had. A second later a waitress set down a plate in front of the girls, each one looked up in surprise to see her smile at them kindly before walking away. None of them had ordered anything, but this wasn't the first time they had been offered random food when stopping for a rest. The news of Conan's disappearance was all over the newspaper, and everyone felt sorry for the kidnapped child's older sister. That and the girls looked completely miserable. Not that a slice of fudge ripple chocolate dream cake was really going to do much about that. ...okay, maybe it helped a little. Ran absentmindedly played with the dessert as Sonoko devoured the chocolate goodness.

Her dessert was gone in seconds while Ran and Kazuha had both eaten less than half of theirs. The short haired girl pushed her chair away with a clatter and banged the table.

"Okay! We've rested, now lets get back to searching for the brat with glasses."

"Where are you expecting to go?" Ran asked, her voice a sad monotone. Both of her friends were shocked. Both because of her tone and because those were the first words she'd spoken that day. They were even more surprised when the desolate girl continued. "We've searched almost everywhere. There is no where else to go. I don't know what to do..." Kazuha was quick to snap out of her shock and attempt to cheer her friend.

"We haven't looked everywhere yet. There are just a few more places we haven't looked for him yet. If he wasn't anywhere else, that must mean that he's in one of the places we haven't searched yet. We just have to keep going."

"Y-yeah!" Sonoko was quick to agree, "We can't give up yet! We'll find him, or he'll escape. He always manages to do something impossible! You'll see. We've been in so many cases, and everything always works out for the best-"

"This isn't some movie where you know the good guy is going to win, Sonoko." The girl said sadly, her voice sounding dead. "W- what if his luck has just- just run out."

The girl's two friends shared glances before Kazuha spoke again.

"Then he still has the luck of everyone else to count on. Think about it, he has us, his friends, the police, your dad, and Heiji looking for him. All of our luck can't have run out at once." The girl pulled up her bag and begun digging through it. "I wanted to give this to Conan-kun after we found him, but I think right now it would be better off with you than just sitting in my purse."

The pony-tailed girl opened cradled hands to reveal a small omamori, the fabric displaying a blue as deep as Conan's eyes with intricate designs done in a red to match his favorite bow-tie. With trembling hands Ran took the charm, opening the top to see a picture and a flat piece of glass. She shakily held the picture to her eyes, seeing her, her father, Conan, Hattori and Kazuha all smiling in the way that could only be caught on candid camera. She couldn't remember the exact time the picture was taken, but her eyes zoned in on the happy smile of the youngest member. A truly happy smile was sometimes hard to find on the boy, but this picture captured it. With a small smile she placed it back into the bag, holding up the glass instead. "What's this?"

"Oh, I got that from Agasa-hakase. It's a lens from one of Conan-kun's old glasses that fell out while he was fixing them. It's not really as personal as a handcuff link, but everyone knows that 'small glasses wearing kid who hangs around all of the detectives'. Also, its kind of like a magnifying glass with out a handle. I thought he would like that with how much he loves mysteries."

Ran fingered the small bit of glass, allowing a small smile to filter across her face. The lens was perfct. One of the first things people noticed abut Conan-kun was his dorky, oversised glasses. It was certainly one of the first things she noticed when she first saw him. He even slept and bathed in them. IT was as much his trademark as his little bow tie.

Secretly the glasses made her think of Conan-kun as Clark Kent. For the boy was certainly her Superman. He'd saved her life dozens of times, and more importantly he was was always there for her. To comfort her when she missed Shinichi and to sit with her when she cried. He was her Superman, saving her from both danger and despair. She gripped the lens, obviously an old used one, and turned her face up to her friends.

"Thank you Kazuha-chan. It's perfect." The two other girl's grinned.

"Okay, lets get going then!" Sonoko yelled, Kazuha chiming in right after.

"Right! My charms always work. We'll find him in no time."

With slightly renewed spirits the girls were off again, not knowing about the revelations of the police nor of the meeting tomorrow. The only thing they knew was that Conan and Takagi had to be out there somewhere, and that they would stop at nothing to find them.


	21. Chapter 21

Hi! I'm back with a new chapter! Once again, sorry for the delay. I hope you all like this next chapter. I expected Kinkalow to talk more in this, but it just didn't turn out as I expected... at all... I like where it went though!

Also YOU GUYS! I can't beleive I have over 200 reviews and over 100 follows and fav.s. Its so INCREDIBLE! You guys are so amazing and I am SO sorry for not responding t any reviews this time. I really, really wanted to but my internet was being incredibly aggravating! As in, working one second, half-working the next, then not working at all. I just didn't get the chance.I'll try to do so for this chapter because its working better now.

Thank you all so much for reading, reviewing, and everything else!

Time Line:

Sat: Kidnapping

Sun: Everyone searching, questions the men in jail, Mind games and hunger starts

Mon: DB go back to school, Question the man who tells them of first kitten, Takagi stabbed

Tues: Hattori arrives, Conan actually accepts food.

**Wed: Hattori stops guy from stealing from police, Vermouth visits Conan**

Thurs:

Fri:

Sat: Date Takagi is supposed to be found dead

* * *

A hollow clang sounded as the door to the top of the cell opened, Lion walking purposely towards the two captives with a pair of his members in tow. Takagi and Conan both rose their heads at the noise, surprised at the amount of activity after so many days of sitting in boredom. They were even more surprised when the two strangers appeared following the fiend.

Conan's eyes immediately narrowed, his gaze seeming to both encompass and penetrate the two Cats. One was a tall, arrogant seeming man. He had long, nearly white hair, perfectly combed and styled. Below the hair, he had a fairly handsome face, hampered only by the broken, practically flattened nose. Conan felt a smirk begin to form, already guessing the man's codename. His smirk dropped when he saw the stranger's companion.

A child, older than Conan's physical age but certainly not much more than ten, trotted happily down the steps. Looking like a boy on a trip to the zoo rather than a criminal meeting doomed captives. His face altered between a stern frown and an ecstatic smile, obviously trying to act more mature than he really was. Conan had no clue as to this child's codename, but he could hardy believe that he wasn't simply a Kitten himself.

That thought disturbed the boy, who was to say that this child, walking so comfortably with the criminals, wasn't a Kitten as well? What evidence was there that Lion didn't have dozens, or even hundreds of children working for him, all called Kittens? He shuddered slightly to himself, but hid it as the men neared closer still.

Takagi's attention was split between the two newcomers and the small sleuth next to him. He watched as the bespectacled boy studied them, hiding nothing of his penetration gaze. The man then shifted his gaze to study the newcomers himself, shock and dread filling him at the sight of the child just as it had Conan. However, he didn't have much time to build upon his observations before the three were at the foot of their cell. Lion smirked slightly at the two captives, causing Takagi to shiver and Conan to glare. Finally the man spoke.

"Greetings Kitten. I thought that since you will soon be joining our... family... you may want to meet some of your older brothers. I-" The man was cut off by the sound of a roaring lion. Conan and Takagi shared a confused glace as Lion pulled out a cell phone, a furious look on his face. The look changed to a smirk as he saw the caller ID. "I'm afraid I must take this, Tiger needs my guidance. I'm sure you can introduce yourselves." Lion left and the two others visibly relaxed, the smile the child had been trying to hide finally surfacing while the other man sneered at the captives.

"Well, well, well," The man started, "So you're Lion's newest little pet."

Conan said nothing, choosing instead to glare silently. Takagi by now had realized that the Cats barely cared that he existed and knew that any response he attempted would be ignored. However, the lack of response encouraged the man if anything.

"Well then, this should be interesting. You can call me Persian, head deceiver, actor and showman. I can convince anybody of anything. Be anybody I fancy for the day. I'm the head honcho for getting information." He leaned back, looking extremely proud of his achievements. Conan and Takagi shared a glance. Conan leaned over to the officer.

"Between him and Tabby, I guess to be a Cat you need to have practiced introductions and monologs. I'd better stat working on mine."

Despite a thrill of fear about the boy referring to himself as a Cat Takagi smiled at the joke, knowing he wasn't serious. Persian saw the movement and scowled.

"You have something you want to share?" Conan smirked back at him, leaning back in feigned comfort.

"Nope, I'm good." The man scowled, but said nothing, only nudging the child next to him. The boy looked surprised for a moment before he began talking.

"Oh, I'm Kinkalow! An official House Cat as of today!" The child puffed out his chest looking extremely proud. Conan an Takagi waited for a moment before sharing another glace.

"Thats it?"

"Huh?"

"I'm pretty sure to be a true House Cat, you have to have an introduction at lest four sentences long." The seven-year-old quipped, smirking at the boy. Kinkalow simply stared at him confused before morphing his face into an grumpy, superior expression. Persian meanwhile did nothing, content to see how a battle of wits between the two youngest members would play out. He had no doubt who would win. Lion may idolize this new child, but Persian had taught Kinkalow everything he knew, there was no way this newcomer could beat him. Kinkalow stood to full height, obviously trying to make himself superior to this other boy.

"Be quiet _Kitten_! I'm a House Cat, and you're just a Kitten. You're the lowest Rank, so you have to do what all the higher Cats tell you, including me."

Conan rose an eyebrow and Takagi had to keep from laughing. This child was serious. He was trying so hard to intimidate Conan when not even Lion had been able to do so. The poor kid really thought he had power over him.

"Oi, oi! Why should I listen to you? You're ten years old."

"S-so! You're seven! I'm older than you and I'm higher up! You have to listen to me! Just like how I had to listen to everyone. You have to do what I say, its the rule!"

Persian smiled as he watched the two young boys. Kids say the darndest things. They were so cute over there, arguing, trying to show authority that neither of them really had. However, it was disturbing that his little apprentice seemed to be losing. Oh well, he would wait and see what would come of this.

Takagi saw an annoyed smirk cross Conan's face, and for a moment he felt sorry for the child he was arguing with. The pint-sized private eye was getting annoyed, not that the officer could really say that he was otherwise. The other child's argument had been nothing other than repeating the same phrase. He supposed that was probably to be expected of a young child, but he was so used to Conan's logical debates. This Kinkalow didn't seem to comprehend that anyone would dare to go against these rules he was relying so heavily on. Takagi knew that Conan would show the other boy how wrong he was.

"Alright, Fluffy. You and Whiskers over there may follow every command of that crazy-cat-lady in disguise but that doesn't mean that I'm going to. I'm no stupid Cat and there is nothing that he can do to me that will make me ever be his Kitten."

By now even Persian was paying attention. He'd gone from his slouched position to standing completely upright, staring at this defiant Kitten in shock. Beside him his apprentice did the same. The two Cats stared at the two in the cage for a moment, simply standing in stupid shock. Those inside the cage however, looked triumphant. Finally Persian decided that it was no longer time to let the child argue, he was going to speak to this new Kitten. The long haired man screwed his mouth up into a scowl.

"You may want to shut up while you're ahead. The boss-man wouldn't be too happy to hear you talk like that. I'm sure he wouldn't like to know about how you insulted him. No, he wouldn't be happy to hear of his little Kitten acting up."

A fire of defiance was alit in the eyes of Conan, and Takagi felt only pity for this man who thought he could match wits with him.

"I don't care about what makes him happy. I don't care what he says about me 'acting up' because, as I said, I am not going to be a Kitten."

"You may be too much of an idiot to realize this Kit, but you don't have much choice in the matter. I didn't, Kinkalow didn't, and you won't either. Lion always ends up getting what he wants. I don't care how strong you think you are, or what code of ethics you follow right now. It is only a matter of time before you're on this side of the cage, and loving every minute of it." His scowl became a wicked, depraved smile. Conan met this with a calm, almost bored manner, knowing this would anger the man more than anything else.

"Now look who's insulting Lion, calling his obsession an idiot. He wouldn't be happy about that either. Not that I care what the kitties think. Not when their eternal enemies the dogs are so hot on their trail." Conan nodded once at Takagi as he said dogs, signifying the police force as the enemies of these criminals. "Cats may be able to hide when they can resort to trickery like climbing trees, or squeezing through small holes, resorting to tactics beneath the dogs. But when the cats are finally flushed into open ground; well, then is when the dogs will conquer. You see, kitty? I'm not much of a Kitten, I'm more of a Puppy." Takagi rose an eyebrow, whispering to Conan as Persian stood in shock, trying to come up with a response.

"I have the feeling that that title sounded much more impressive in your head."

Conan rolled his eyes at him slightly, sending a 'shut up' glare before continuing, cutting off whatever response Persian may have stammered up by this point.

"And I'll stay with the dogs, cause its only a matter of time until the cats out of the bag. After all, you know what mere curiosity can do to you. And its seems until only a matter of time before it overcomes you Cats."

Persian let out an animalistic snarl, striking the gate separating them with a loud clang.

"You little brat! You can just stay with the dogs then, the idiotic creatures who just go around dumbly following orders and attaching themselves to anyone who offers them a treat! Creatures that don't think and don't plan. Who spend their whole lives simply acting as servants, trying to please Masters who command them and nothing more. Go ahead and be a stupid little pet, while we strive to be the King of the Jungle, creature that stalk people's nightmares. Relinquish your pride, do stupid tricks at someones command. We will do none of that. For every cat owner knows, no one owns a cat."

"Really? Cause it seems that for all you profess about being free, Lion has a pretty tight grip on your leash. A king can be just as bad as a master if it doesn't care for his subjects. A dog follows orders because it wants to please, can you say the same of someone under a dictators rule?"

Persian struck the cage again in fury as Kinkalow simply stood behind him, quivering in fear of his mentors anger. The argument had quickly gone over his head, but even he knew that Persian was losing and that he wasn't happy about it. Persian pressed himself up against the chain link, glaring with unbridled fury at those behind it. His anger only ignited by how neither captives had even flinched, in all they both looked completely at ease.

"If you weren't in that cage right now, if Lion wasn't so keen on keeping you, I can assure you that you would be lying in a pool of blood, begging for my forgiveness and telling me how wrong you were." To his ever rising anger, the boy only smirked in response.

"You can't do anything to me. You wouldn't dare. Lion wants me, and he wants me whole. You are as powerless as a cornered mouse."

"That would make you the cat." The long haired man sneered, glad to have tangled the boy's words. However, said child simply smirked, as if he were expecting that.

"No, Lion is the cat. I'm the dog who the cat doesn't know cornered him as well."

Persian straightened for a moment, slightly shocked, before turning in a huff and grabbing Kinkalow's arm, dragging him up the steps. The child continually tripped as he twisted his head back to keep his gaze on Conan, his eyes brimming with admiration. Kinkalow had just watched the newest Kitten efficiently and calmly outwit the mentor that he had been with for a few years, the man whose wisdom he practically worshiped. This little seven year old had just taken him down. Kinkalow may be a House Cat, and this kid could be just a Kitten, but the ten year-old knew that the boy was greater than him, greater than his mentor. Perhaps he would prove to be greater than even Lion himself. As he was being forcibly led through the house, Kinkalow couldn't help but think how nice it would be to be a dog, like Kitte- no, like Puppy was. He smiled softly, Puppy sounded even funnier than Kitten. Still, as he recalled the argument, he thought to himself that it was better all the same.

The child's smile dropped as Persian stopped in front of a door, knocking on it loudly. Persian NEVER knocked, not unless he was meeting with Lion. Kinalow never liked meeting with Lion. It made him nervous, as though he had to be perfect and it was never enough. His only relief was that he knew Persian felt the same.

Persain at the moment was still angrily knocking, until a calm, if irritated, voice bid him enter. Lion was sitting calmly at his large desk, his eyes focused on the laptop screen. As they entered he hit the button atop of a large stopwatch, smirking slightly at the numbers it portrayed.

"Though I am not surprised that he was able to outwit the two of you, I am very disappointed that it took so little time. Disappointed in you course, not him."

Persain seemed to hardy have heard these words, anger still building in him. "That child is a menace. He'll never do what you want him to. I say we should just kill him now! It would save us a lot of trouble, and irritation."

Lion smirked at him, as if knowing that would be his response. He then looked to the child, cowering slightly behind his mentor.

"How about you, kid? What did you think of him?" Kinkalow glanced slightly at his mentor, knowing that the man wouldn't be happy with his truthful answer. Lion gave a low growl. "Don't look at him. I didn't ask him, I asked you. He didn't ask you, I did. **I** want **your** answer, and you will give it to me."

Kinkalow hunched slightly in fear, nodding swiftly.

"I.. I think he's really, really smart. And really good at arguing... He's pretty cool!" Lion smiled, as if the opinion of this child meant more than the House Cat who spoke against the Kitten. "But, I think it'll be really, really hard to make him do something if he doesn't want to. I think he's really stubborn." Lion's smile fell into a scowl, slightly worried now because everyone to meet the child believed him to be too stubborn to train. Then his scowl turned to a smirk.

"I'm disappointed that the two of you doubt me so. Trust me, I have my ways. Whether the child likes it or not, he will eventually be my Kitten. He has no other choice."

The man sneered, speaking to the lower raked two for only a few more minutes before excusing them. He was interested in the boy's analogy/ threat, but dismissed it after a while. After the two left he turned back to his computer, watching the two captives speak for a moment. At times the two looked completely serious, and at others amused. Once more he felt irritation, deciding then and there that he would have some of the lower ranked House Cats instal bugs in each secret cell they had, he would no longer miss out on such interesting conversations as those his captives were sure to be having. Watching for only a few more moments he then minimized the screen and called Lion back, they had plans to finalize after all. Abyssinian's nine lives were up.

* * *

Conan rose his eyes to meet Takagi's, seeing the man deep in thought. Conan couldn't have known that the man's thoughts centered around him, around his incredible knowledge and numerous secrets. Instead the boy thought that he was only thinking of their recent visitor, and what there conversation had meant.

"What are you thinking?" The child asked. Takagi looked startled and flustered for a moment before stammering out a reply.

"I-I just can't believe how many cat analogies and saying one could manipulate." Conan smiled softly, silently agreeing with the man. He thought about that for a moment before voicing his own thoughts.

"I was surprised to see Kinkalow... to see a child so young being trained by him." Takagi nodded.

"I know it shouldn't shock us, with him capturing you and all, but I was surprised as well... Its kind of sad. He really had no chance at a life other than this, other than to be a criminal. And to think That's what he wants to do to you... it makes you wonder how many times he has done this before."

"Like what Persian said, about not having a choice. As if all of Lion's followers were forced into this."

Takagi nodded, "But that may not make their loyalty ay less."

"True."

Silence lasted for a moment. "That was quite the speech you gave there... Puppy."

Conan groaned softly, "That sounded a lot better before I said it out loud."

"I'm sure."

"Maybe I should have said wolf cub or something."

"Maybe." He sighed. "Don't you think its strange that we've been sitting doing nothing for the past few days and now he's suddenly bringing in all of these visitors?" Conan nodded. Looking slightly worried.

"Its as though he knows that... that its a permanent thing now." Takagi winced.

"M-m-maybe he just had to fit it into their schedule and they couldn't come any earlier."

"No. He's focused on control. If he told them to come, they would drop everything and come immediately." He dropped his voice so low that Takagi nearly couldn't hear him. "I know They would."

He, as he had so often done since they had been captured, pretended not to hear. The boy had been getting looser and looser. Fear gripped the officer's heart as he worried that the boy was letting more slip because Takagi would never get the chance to tell anyone. The thought made him count the days, though they all blurred together. As he arrived at a conclusion his hear nearly stopped. No... this couldn't be right... it just couldn't!

"I... I only have one full day left to live. The day after tomorrow... they're going to kill me."

"No!" Conan said vehemently, "That won't happen. I won't let it."

Takagi smiled to the passionate boy in thanks, but had to wonder if this was finally something out of the boy's control.

* * *

Who here is tired of cat analogies? **Waves hand frantically!**

Well that's too bad! I swear I don't really plan them out, they just kind of appear in the screen when I'm typing! Its gotten to the point that I'm mad when I think of well known cat idioms that don't fit in anywhere...


	22. Chapter 22

Woah! So many reviews last Chapter! THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH! Thanks to everyone whos reading! Sorry this took so long to get out, I may be late in the future because school is making me SOOOOOOOOOOOOO busy! Oh well, at least this chapter is longer! I really hope you all enjoy it!

May I just say I think it is very ironic how many of my reviewers/favoriters/followers have some kind of cat in their username for pictures...

Time Line:

Sat: Kidnapping

Sun: Everyone searching, questions the men in jail, Mind games and hunger starts

Mon: DB go back to school, Question the man who tells them of first kitten, Takagi stabbed

Tues: Hattori arrives, Conan actually accepts food.

Wed: Hattori stops guy from stealing from police, Vermouth visits Conan, Kinkalow visits.

**Thurs:**

Fri:

Sat: Date Takagi is supposed to be found dead

* * *

A soft click-clack sounded as Satou waled through the station, her steps sounding overly loud in the strangely silent building. No one spoke, it seemed that no one even dared to breathe, as she passed. All eyes followed her. The inspector may have been oblivious to Satou and Takagi's relationship, but he was possibly the only one. Everyone else knew with terrible clarity of the two's relationship, and felt a pang of pain and sympathy for the girl whose love was supposed to die the next day.

She paid them no mind, holding her head high and proud as she walked calmly past. Her stern expression showed nothing of the fear and sadness twisting around inside of her. Hattori walked beside her, his sneaker-ed feet making nary a sound. The teen was fingering the tip of his cap, his eyes serious and distracted. Many of the officers' gazes cantered longer on this teen than the woman, for his presence marked another terrible absence, one perhaps even more terrible than the first.

All of the officers had arrived at crimes scenes that week, almost expecting to see the small bespectacled child popping up and practically spoon feeding them the answers. Each time they were brutally reminded of his absence, and the horrors of what could be happening to Conan. They felt the child's disappearance like a splinter, painful when one was aware of it, easy to forget but all it takes is a small brush to bring back the pain.

Finally the two got past the silence, past the stares and into the room Megure had set aside for the conversation with the original officer murderer. This room also became silent as they entered, eyes all centering on them. Those in the room quickly tried to hide it, calling out greetings and such, and the two newcomers tactfully ignored the pause.

"Ah, Satou-kun, Hattori-kun. You're here." Megure called out to them, Shiratori and Chiba standing behind him. The two nodded, knowing that the man wasn't really surprised. While it was true that it was well before noon, none of them wanted to risk the 12:15 time requirement. The inspector continued speaking as the two newcomers walked up to the group. He motioned to the computer sitting on the table in the center of the room. "He should be on the site in about twenty minutes. Our biggest issue right now is that we aren't sure what he's expecting us to say to "convince" him to help. We never caught him so we don't know his motive for committing the murders. In fact, we don't really know anything about it. This whole thing will probably be a stab in the dark."

"Come on, we gotta know something!" Hattori suddenly yelled, causing Magure to blink at him in surprise.

"No, we really don't. It was like Jack the Ripper. He came, murdered and was never found."

Hattori grumbled slightly, but seemed to know that it wouldn't do anything to argue.

"We were thinking about getting some of Conan-kun's friends in here to try and help convince the man, but we want to include as few civilians as possible, That's also why we didn't tell Ran-kun. We could have asked Mouri-san but he has a habit of being impulsive and putting his foot in his mouth."

At that Heiji rose his eyebrows, as if to say 'and I don't', but Megure ignored him.

"Also, he's apparently searching on his own. He's been trying to find out where the culprit took them by checking out the direction he was going when pulled over. As it is, I think you two would be the best choices to speak to him. Especially because I don't think he wanted a big audience. We'll all still be in here, but you two will be doing all of the talking. We'll only step in if we feel that you need a lot of help."

"Great," Heiji said, rubbing the brim of his forward facing cap in anticipation. Satou simply nodded once more, her eyes looking deadly determined. The two came around to sit at the table, logging into the website and sitting to wait for the man even though he would not be arriving for several minutes.

"You got a plan?" Hattori asked Satou, knowing that neither could really formulate one concretely without knowing more about the person they were speaking to. She frowned.

"In the email he seemed upset at both someone kidnapping a child and someone copying him. The question is, should we play off of his pride or his moral compass. I like to think that a murderer has no morals, but kidnapping a little kid might be crossing some line for him. I'm hoping he'll give us something to tell us which one to go for." She sighed. "This would be so much easier with Conan-kun or Takagi-kun here, both were really good at reading people. Conan-kun especially. He could proably figure it out just by how the guy says hello."

"Hey! Don't forget about me! I'm every bit as good as Ku-Ku- Conan-kun!" She looked up, startled.

"A-ah right, of course." She said, sweat dropping slightly. She'd completely forgotten that the Osakan teen was a well know detective himself. Suddenly the computer popped as someone entered their chat room. Every heart in the room stopped when they saw the user-name: _Officermurdersculprit._

With a final deep breath Satou clicked the button for a video chat. Everyone waited with bated breath to see the criminal's face. And they were all sorely disappointed. Rather than a face it seemed that the camera had been blocked, leaving a solid black monitor as a voice spoke from the computer.

"Right on time. I'm impressed." A mocking, smooth voice spoke. Satou and Hattori stiffened, their eyes locked on the now blank screen. The man chuckled slightly before continuing.

"Well now, a teenager and a woman. Isn't this a surprise. I expected someone so much more... official." At that both Satou and Hattori visible snarled.

"I will have you know that I am a very competent and respected member of the Tokyo Police department, no matter my gender." Satou said calmly, slight anger encroaching on her tone. She had been though enough this week for this man to simply dismiss her because she was a woman. She really did not need this right now.

"What are you talking about, 'some teenager'? I'm the great high school detective of the West, comparable only to Kudo Shinichi, the great high school detective of the East. I'm one of the best detectives in Japan!" The teen yelled, flabbergasted at not being recognized. The teen dropped don in his chair in a huff, and mumbled to himself quiet enough that the computer wouldn't pick him up. "If we were in Osaka he would'a known me."

When the man spoke again his voice had the slightest trace of disappointment.

"I see. A great detective and an officer. Well then, why should I help you find these... boys?"

Satou and Hattori shared a glance, they still had no clue how to play this. Hattori hesitantly spoke first.

"This criminal, whoever he is, kidnapped an innocent child to get to the officer."

"I already know that."

"The culprit used _your _methods. He copied your legacy, what you did." Satou attempted.

"I know that too. I already told you all of that in the message I sent. Obviously that wasn't enough to convince me to help. If you have nothing else to say, then I guess we're done here."

"Wait!" The two yelled, hating how desperate they sounded. For a moment there was only silence, then:

"Yes?" A voice spoke from the darkness of the screen.

"What would it take to convince you?" Satou asked in a hesitant voice.

"Tsk, Tsk, tsk. That isn't how this works. If the lives of those two mean so little to you that you are not able to convince me by yourselves, then I see no reason to help you. After all, what reason do I, a cop killer, have for rescuing some officer and the police force's mascot?" The two sitting gave no answer. Satou's hands, gripping her knees, began to shake. The man, seeing no response was coming, simply continued.

"Why should I, someone who previously aspired to kill officers help you now to save one? What does the life of that little brat mean to me? A little teenage detective and an officer, investigating the disappearance of some little mini-detective and an officer who'll be replaced in a few months. You think all you have to do is question me I have no reason to help this little nameless, dime-a-dozen cop who will be forgotten in no time. Why-"

"Shut up!" Satou yelled, her arms shaking as she glared in righteous fury at the still blank computer screen. "You don't know what you're talking about! Takagi-kun isn't nameless, he isn't dome-a-dozen and he will never be forgotten. I'm not searching for some officer, I'm looking for Takagi-kun, my partner, my friend, and maybe something more. I don't care if you help us or not, I am finding him. I won't give up until either he's with me, or I am standing beside his corpse. Even after that, if I'm too late, I will stop at nothing to avenge him. I will put everyone who was connected with his death behind bars, including you if he dies because you wouldn't talk for the stupid reason that we couldn't convince you. I am not letting MY Takagi-kun die because of something like that."

"Yeah!" Hattori yelled, "Ku-Conan-kun may be just some little brat for you but he's my best friend. I am not going to let these people get away we doing anything to him. These two may not seem like much to you, but they are way more than you are making them out to be. They are more than some kid detective and an officer, they are our friends. They have families, friends, and lovers who are going to come after those who hurt them. We won't rest until these criminals are behind bars, no matter what it takes. We will find them. Kudo is not going to die, not while I'm here."

For a moment there was silence, a pin's drop would create an echo, even the officers hidden from the computer refrained from moving or making any sound. Then finally, the man from behind the camera spoke.

"Well then... That's what I wanted to hear." There was a stunned, relieved silence. "I don't want to help the cops, but I have no beef against this 'Takagi-kun' of 'Conan-kun'. Since I'm helping them and not just some random officer and detective, I would love to help. However, I will need more detail about exactly what happened."

Everyone in the room's mouths dropped open in shock before Satou began scrambling to create an answer, knowing that because she had been the one to find their belongings, she would be the best to tell the man what had happened.

"A murder happened last Saturday morning, and Takagi-kun and Conan-kun were going to question some witnesses. There were a lot, so we expected them to be gone all day, and-"

"Why did you allow the child to go with him to question witnesses?" The man asked reprimandingly.

"He woulda found a way to get into the investigation anyway." Hattori answered, Satou nodding in agreement.

"He's very bright and useful to have. Plus he would have sneaked into the investigation no matter what. This seemed like the safest place for him. None of the people being questioned were even suspects." There was a pause, as if the man was nodding before realizing that they couldn't see him, then he told Satou to continue.

"After a long while I realized that he was very late and hadn't contacted us with any news what so ever. Neither one would answer their phone, so I went out to find them. After a while I was able to track down the last house he went to and found it empty. I called him and heard his phone inside the building. I followed the sound to see all of their clothes in a box, and they were nowhere to be found. Later I noticed some of Takagi-kun's notes about people copying crimes and saw that the box didn't have his gun, badge, or handcuffs and pieced it together."

The man seemed to be mumbling to himself for a moment, as though thinking aloud. "Strange, I usually left them in their uniforms, but if it was a detective and I wanted to make sure there was nothing to link me to him I could just buy a cheap suit similar to their original... I don't know why they would take the kid, coulda just left him... unless he saw their face, then..." He sighed, then seemed to address them again.

"Okay, I'll tell you as much as I safely can, but know that I'm not sure how much this will help. First off, I never had any cops just come up to my house and talk to me, I would have to lure them to my house with some fake emergency. I made sure to change it every time. I'd knock them out and take them to a secluded safe-house I have that can't be traced to my name. I would keep them there for a week in a hidden room I added, and I would kill them in there as well. The night after I killed them, I would drive to a police station and leave them on the roof. It was harder after you guys got wise and started guarding them, but if I drove around long enough I could always find something."

Hattori and Satou remained sitting after he finished, waiting for him to continue.

"Well?" Hattori asked.

"Well what? This is it. You guys already knew most of my secrets, I just told you what was left."

"How is any of that supposed to help us find them?"

"I told you that I would tell you my method, not that it would help at all."

Hattori seethed at him. "You mean this was just another waste of time? I don't have time for this, I gotta go look for Kudo-" Hattori started to rise, but Satou held down his arm. She turned back to the camera, though she felt herself shaking with rage as well.

"Well then do you have any suggestions?" She grit out to the computer. The man was silent for a moment.

"Don't know how much this will narrow thing down but... check houses that were recently bought but it seems like no one really lives there. Even better if you know renovations were made. I'd also recommend having obvious guards on a couple of police station roofs, and some hidden ones on others. Of course, it'll be too late for you little boyfriend by then." Satou flushed but made no comment. " As for the kid... I really don't know. Hope you have a lot of luck, cause That's pretty much all I know that could help you find him.

"Wait! I remembered one more thing. The cop that came to my house mentioned that whoever did this interviewed the culprits to find out their methods, and it got me thinking. A month or two ago I get a phone call from some little kid saying that they wanted to ask questions about how I was a suspect in that case. Kid came right out and asked if I did it and how. Course the first thing I thought of was how all those seven-year-olds have been solving all of these crimes, I thought some cops had used it to set up a trap for me. I don't know, maybe they thought I would answer a kid cause I thought no one would take them seriously. Thinking back at it now, it would've been a really stupid plan.

"But when the cop came the other day and asked about it, it made me think. I realized it wasn't you who called me, it musta been the kid who apparently they sometimes use. But what I wonder is, how did they get my number. I know that there was never a list or anything out about the suspects, in fact the papers never named any suspects at all. There should be no way that anyone would know who I was. Anyone outside of the police force that is. That's all I got. If you have any other questions... answer them yourselves."

The window closed as the man ended the chat, leaving those in the room staring at the computer in shock.

Satou was the first one to speak. "I can't believe it... that must mean that one of the officers..."

Hattori spoke next. "I know. It makes sense if you think about it. They seem to have a lot of information, but its still hard to believe that anyone would..."

Suddenly, fury lit in Satou's eyes, intense and burning. "That means someone... someone who works _here_ is responsible for Takagi-kun being kidnapped. It means someone who I _know_ might play a part in his death! One of my fellow officers... practically killing him." She stood, her eyes deathly intense and full of acute anger. She seemed ready to go out and start bashing heads left and right until she found the double agent. Only Megure's calm hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"We don't know that for sure. Look at how easily that thief snuck in the other day, the files could have been stolen or copied."

"People have been going through the files and reviewing them all week. Nothing was missing. It has to be someone in here telling them."

"Don't worry Satou-kun, we'll find them. From now on I want all of the information on this case to stay between those of us in this room, and I want nothing leaking out." Everyone in the room nodded with a quick jerk of the head. With that the matter closed and the occupants of the room cast their thoughts back on the rest of the chat.

"I don't really know what I expected that conversation to be like, but that sure wasn't it." Chiba said with a slight chuckle. Shiratori just frowned pensively.

"As for his "lead", there's got to be hundreds of houses like that in Japan. Finding all of them won't narrow anything down at all."

"Well, right now its all we got. I'll go get some people to start finding the houses that match the specifications he made. I'm going to tell them its for something else though, just in case." Megure said, frowning as well. "He didn't really give us much that would actually help us find them. After all, you can only do so much with knowing that a traitor "exists". We'll keep a look out, but for now we have to see what he gave us that can help us now."

"He didn't give us anything." Hattori spat. "Other than the traitor we know nothing! There's no way we'll find them with what we know. Takagi-keiji is going to be killed tomorrow, and who knows what's happening to Ku-Conan-kun. I know the two of them as well as you all do. If they were able to escape, they would have done it already! Its up to us now, and we have nothing!"

"Hattori-kun, calm down!" Megure called out, surprised at the teen's outburst. Satou said nothing, her own thoughts dangerously close to the teen's.

"What do you mean calm down? They could die, all because I wasn't good enough to solve this one case! If that kid were here he'd probably have a million leads by now, looking up at me with his cocky grin, the one I always hated. I feel like someone who can't find their glasses, thinking about how thing would be so much easier if they only had their glasses and could see! I need his help on this case, but he _is_ the case!"

"Hattori-kun!" Megure shouted once again, this time stopping the teen's tirade. "Being upset and wishing they were here isn't going to change anything. Trust me, everyone in this room is concerned for them, and we are not going to give up until we actually have them with us. If Conan-kun were here he would not want you feeling sorry for yourself, he would want you doing whatever it takes to find him, and he wouldn't doubt you the way you are doubting yourself. Neither would Takagi-kun doubt any of us." As Megure concluded his speech he left, Chiba and Shiratori following after him. Hattori calmed his breathing, knowing that the inspector was right. He was right, Hattori knew it, but it was hard to remember that when he was sleeping in the Mouri's living room, listening to Ran cry with worry in her sleep.

"He's right." Satou said softly. "Lets go and see what we can do to help. It's all up to us now, we're the only ones we can trust. We're the only ones left for _them _to trust." She stood and left the room. Hattori stayed only a second longer staring a the computer and remembering their conversation, pondering every word, trying to find hidden clues. Suddenly he froze, letting out a nervous chuckle. Kudo would've killed him if he knew that Hattori had accidentally called him his real name... twice. Well, at least that was one good thing about times of panic like this, people tended to focus on nothing but the matter at hand. Letting out one final chuckle, the teen left the room to find the others.

* * *

Megure frowned as he reviewed the conversation with the murderer in his mind, though it wasn't something that the man had said, but what one of the two on his side had said that disturbed him. They had let out a secret that he was sure he wasn't supposed to have heard... since when were Takagi and Satou 'something more'?


	23. Chapter 23

Hi everyone! Sorry for the long leave of absence! Volleyball districts are coming up, end of the quarter means that the honors stuff is all due plus tasts galore. And suddenly my family was asked to house a Vietnamese exchange student! So we had a ton of housework ti do. We added a wall to a basement living room and turned it into my room, then we had to move all of my stuff over to the new room... so yeah, time consuming. She's coming this Thursday though! I am so excited!

I am REALLY SORRY for not responding to any reviews... I'll try this chapter but no promises. Also, really sorry for Hattori last chapter. I read it over and he was really ooc, sorry about that! I'll do better with him, I promise!

With no further ado, on with the show! A slightly creepy chapter I think.

* * *

Takagi leaned his head against the back of the bed as Lion walked away, with his and Conan's breakfasts in tow. Conan had refused to beg ever since that day, hating the satisfaction the action had given Lion. While Takagi was proud of the boy for fighting against their captors and glad that his frightening visions of Kitten seemed to be a far way from coming true, that was a poor solace as hunger began to set in once again. When the door closed behind Lion completely, the officer allowed himself a wearied sigh. Oh well, he would probably only be hungry for one more day. He stiffened slightly at the thought, and looked to where Conan sat on the floor leaning against the bed, as if to ensure that the boy hadn't heard the man's taboo thought.

The child didn't move and the man allowed the despairing thoughts to wash over him once again. Only one day left. He felt a weight drop to his stomach with the knowledge that he had finally fully given up hope. He had only one day left. He was going to die tomorrow. There wasn't anything anyone could do about it. If Conan knew of a way to escape, they would be gone by now. If there was any hope of Satou finding them, they would have shown up by now as well. They probably didn't have any leads to go off of. It was set in stone. He had no chance of survival.

Many times in books, characters will come to term with their death once they know that it was immanent. They would realize that there was no hope for survival and would become calm. Sometimes it would even be stated that the doomed party would view their death no differently than one would the weather or their surroundings. For Takagi, none of this was so. He felt a firm and unrelenting panic, a drive, an insatiable instinct and desire to survive, to live. He wanted to smile and laugh with his friends and family. He wanted to solve the mysterious case of Conan. He wanted to see Satou again, to tell her everything. In his minds eye flashed the memory of Satou in a wedding gown, except this time the ceremony would be completed and go off without a hitch. He saw children, running around with his skin and height and Satou's beautiful eyes. None of that would ever happen now.

He sighed once again and nearly let out a small chuckle. He knew that if it were Miwako locked in here her thoughts wold be much different from his. He wasn't sure what her thoughts would be at that point, when both life and revenge seemed to be completely out of reach. One thing he did know was that she wouldn't be having the fantastical and romantic visions swimming through his mind. With a sad smile he realized that he knew exactly what she would be thinking. She would not be imagining a beautiful future she would never be a part of, instead she would be reliving the past. In her last moments she would probably see her father the last day she saw him, the explosion on the Ferris wheel, maybe even their shared kiss.

BANG! The door at the top of the steps slammed open, breaking Takagi from his thoughts. Heavy, unfamiliar footstep sounded along with gruff grunting. As their startled gazes lit upon the visitor, both were surprised to see a new form. A tall, muscular man was walking down the steps, another man's unconscious form laid across his shoulder. The man had black hair, and piercing, powerful brown eyes. He paid little attention to the captives, instead focusing on the limp man he held and the task at hand.

At the foot of the stairs the man roughly dropped the one he was carrying and opened up a hidden panel just a foot or two away from the cage. As the panel door was opened, the end a pair of handcuffs fell out, hanging limply in the air. The man grabbed these restraints and used them to bind the still unconscious other, leaving his locked in with his hands held above his head. He aimed a final kick at the now bound man and finally turned his eyes on the two captives.

The villain's hand trailed along a small, dark wooden staff he held at his side as he gazed into the depth of the small prison. As usual the Cat had eyes only for the child, and glanced at Takagi not once. The man's eyes never left the child, a deep air of scrutiny and study surrounded him. Conan waited in silence for the man to speak, knowing that this mental battle would be much harder than his last one. To his surprise the man said nothing, and gave no sign of his emotions. He didn't even smirk as any of the others would have. After a moment of this silent study the man simply turned away, casting one last disgusted glance at the man whom he had handcuffed before walking away. The door closed with a loud bang behind him.

"Well... that was different." Takagi mumbled, but Conan had already scurried to the front of their cage to get a better view of the man who'd been tied up. With the slightest hint of a smile Takagi noted that Conan was possible the only detective alive that one could use the verb scurried on. He rose as well and joined the boy leaning against the mesh of their cell. Conan looked up to the man when he sense his presence before turning back to the newcomer.

"He's still alive, but I have no clue who he is. I've never seen either of them before."

"Do you think its another Cat?"

"I'm not sure. If he is, then they can't be too happy with him if they just tied him up like this. He could be a traitor, but that still doesn't answer why they brought him here."

Takagi gulped slightly. "I have a really bad feeling about this, Conan-kun."

The child looked up at him but said nothing. Truthfully, so did he.

"OI! Wake up!" The child cried out, hoping that the man might give them some answers if he were awake. Yet the man continued to slumber. A few attempts later the man was still out, and the two returned to their beds. There were no clues to be gained from his clothing or body, other than the large bump on his head which was probably why he was unconscious in the first place. All the two could do was wait until the man awoke. They didn't have to wait long, only about half an hour, though for them in their timeless confinement it seemed to take forever. The man groaned slightly and began to shift. Conan immediately jumped to his feet and ran to the mesh, Takagi following behind.

The man's arm moves as though to rub his eyes, but could not move due to the cuffs containing them. As the man realized his limited mobility, his eyes opened in a slow confusion. He forced himself to sit up fully, and looked up to see his bound hands. Still not completely awake, he continued to look around the room in a confused gaze, his vision clearing slightly only as he locked eyes with Conan.

"Little kid..." He mumbled dazedly, "Where am I?"

"You-" Conan began, but was cut off as the man suddenly let out a fearful yelp.

"NO! Little boy with glasses, one of the scratching posts... nononononononononono crap crap crrp! You aren't Kitten are you? PLEASE tell me you aren't Kitten."

Conan stared at the man curiously, not understanding his strange behavior. "That's what Lion calls me."

"Oh man, oh man. This isn't good." The man continued to fret, his eyes wide and fearful. He forged himself to his feet, breathing gruffly in great huffs. Sharp clanking was heard as the man struggled harder and harder against the cuffs, his entire body heaving with the effort.

"What-" Conan began to ask, but was once again cut off. This time however, it wasn't the man, but the door which interrupted him. The door opened with is signature clang as Lion and the newcomer slowly came down the steps. Conan growled deep in his throat and took a step away from the gate, his expression clearly saying that he was not stepping back with fear but disgust. Lion seemed to pay no mind. For once his focus was on something other than his 'little Kitten'. At the moment it was solely on the handcuffed man sniveling in the corner.

"Abyssinian..." The man began in a dark and dissatisfied manner, but he had no time to continue before the man cut in.

"No! Y- y- you can't do this! It wasn't my fault this time! Ask Tiger! I had everything planned perfectly but-"

"We said no more mistakes." The low voice of Tiger spoke up, the man's gaze burning a hole through the squirming House Cat.

"B-b-but y-you! You can't! I'm the best thief you've got! Other than Kid I'm probably the best thief in Japan! You can't get rid of me."

Lion knelt down next to the man. "You don't tell me what I can't do. And like you just said, you're second best. Second bests are always easy to come by."

"B-b-but-"

_Click_. Lion rose his hand to show the sleek, black pistol he had been carrying the first time Conan and Takagi had seen him. He rose the gun to the man's head while letting out a low hiss, effectively silencing him. It was not until this time that he turned to the two in the cage, his eyes immediately seeking out Conan. He smirked when his eyes met with the boy's. Conan had jumped to the front of the mesh when he saw the gun, his survival instinct swamped by his detective stop-the-bad-guy-sense.

"Now Kitten, I'm sure you're confused so I'm going to provide you with a bit of context. You see, Abyssinian here has made a few mistakes too many. I sent Tiger here to send him on a final test, and as I expected, he failed that as well. Now, we don't tolerate mistakes. Its time we dealt with this one."

Abyssinian had resumed his frenzied struggle, his eyes wide and fearful.

"N-n-now come on! It was only a few mistakes! I'll do better! I'm the best you got. I had everything perfect! If it weren't for that stupid tan teenager I woulda-"

Conan visibly perked at the mention of the 'tan teenager' but the doomed man never had time to finish his statement. Lion stepped closer to the panicked and quivering man, placing the tip of his gun against the House Cat's temple. The villain continued to step closer, pressing against his victim until the man's held was pressed against the wall, held their firmly by the gun.

The silent room was filled with the slight sound of the man removing the safety and pulling back the hammer. A dazed Conan was finally shocked into action.

"Stop!" He yelled, rattling the mesh cage. Abyssinian's eyes shot to the boy before returning to the man set on killing him, as though hoping that Lion would listen to his beloved Kitten and call off the murder. Lion did nothing but allow a soulless smirk cover his face as he pressed the gun even harder into his victim's skull, reveling in the man's pained and fearful whimpering.

Both Conan and Takagi began to beat on their mesh cage door, crying out for the man to stop. Both were filled with horror and fear as they realized that they would be helpless to stop a murder happening only a few feet in front of them. Conan began kicking the door with almost as though his super-shoes were still present, determined to stop the death only a door away. He couldn't let this man die in front of him, villain or not. Conan was a detective! He solved deaths, tried to prevent them. He wouldn't let this man die! He couldn't! His frenzy increased. Tiger stood a few feet away, his arms crossed, watching the entire event passively.

"No!"

_Clash, rattle._

"Stop!"

_Clash, rattle. Whimper. _

"Don't!"

_Clash, rattle. _

_**BANG!**_ The room was silent once more.

Conan and Takagi stared for a moment in mute horror at the now blank and lifeless face sitting bound beside their cell. Lion straightened to full height and pulled the gun away from the dead man's head. With the weapon no longer supporting Abyssinian, the corpse fell forward slightly until its form was stopped by the still present cuffs. As is slumped forward it revealed the brains, blood, and gore now dripping down the wall behind it. It wasn't seconds later that blood began to pool around the body, some of the dribbles going as far as to drain into Conan and Takagi's cell. Neither captive moved even when a trickle pooled around Conan's sock, staining the white fabric red. Tiger still stood in the same spot, a satisfied smirk now adorning his previously impassive face.

Lion finally turned to his small would-be apprentice, an amused smile on his face. Conan quickly schooled his face into a neutral expression, but the man was far from fooled. His amused smile lingered for a moment before turning into a sickening sneer. For the first time in days his gaze turned to Takagi's. Lion opened the cylinder and showed the officer the single bullet lying in the next chamber.

"This one is for you, tomorrow." His voice lowered to a whisper. "I can hardly wait." With that he turned and strode confidently up the stairs. At the top he stopped and looked back down to them.

"I assume after this you don't want dinner?" When no reply came he smirked and finally left. Tiger lingered a moment longer, watching the emotionless Conan struggle to keep up his facade before following his leader.

Finally as both men left, Conan trudged silently to the bunk bed, keeping his face down and sitting so that his back was to the security camera. It was there that he let out the anger, hopelessness and despair crush down upon his face. His foot struck out to hit the wall. His anger needing an outlet and finding none. He had failed. Someone less than a yard away from him had lost their life and he had been powerless to stop it. For a moment his mind skipped back to Haibara crying to him because he was unable to save her sister. This was yet another person to add to those he could have saved, but didn't. What kind of detective was he? He had failed. He cursed silently as he kicked the wall again and again, words children should never know wormed their way quietly out of his mouth. Had Takagi heard he would have been shocked, but he was paying his cellmate little mind at the moment.

Takagi still had not moved, his gaze locked on the corpse still only a few feet away. He was shaking slightly, an unfathomable fear coursing through him. Tomorrow he would die, just as this man did. He would die terrified, without hope, like a trapped animal. He locked gazes with the corpse, and it was as if those dead eyes were sending him a mirror of his own in the near future. He took a shark intake of breath, and stumbled back with a slight gag as he smelled the brains and gore splattered against the wall. He stumbled back to sit beside Conan on the bed, his eyes wide in shock. For the first time in a while he truly spoke what was on his mind.

"I'm going to die. Just like that."

Conan looked at him sharply. "No. You won't. I won't let them kill another person in front of me."

Takagi simply shook hid head, his usual constant optimism halted by his immanent death. "You couldn't stop them now. You won;t be able to stop them then." He nearly whispered. "If there was a way out, you would have found it by now."

"No. I won't let them kill you. We'll get out of this. You heard the man, Hattori is here. They'll find us. Even if they don't I'll think of something. I won;t let them kill someone else in front of me. I won't." Conan repeated these phrases for several moments, and Takagi knew that the boy was attempting to convince himself rather than the officer. Truthfully, Takagi knew that nothing the boy said would convince either of them. They both knew the truth. Takagi was going to be killed.

It was hours later that Tabby came down the steps and got rid of the body, all the while claiming that it was 'always him who had to throw away the bodies'. It wasn't until the man had long since finished cleaning that the two captives got their final surprise of the night.

About the time they would usually receive dinner, Lion walked into the room, a stack of photos in his arms. At the door of the cell he knelt and gestured for Conan to come to him. The child did so, but as always remained at a distance from the gate. The man smiled.

"I'm sure you know much more than I would like, but I'm about to fill you in on some things that may or may not be missing from your knowledge. You see, your officer friend is going to die tomorrow in the same manner as many other officer's have. When you were very young, perhaps before you were born, there was a string of murder's where officer's were killed. I'm going to use your friend there to replicate that little incident. Now, there was one thing that was always disputed and to this day no on is sure what the answer to it is. You see, the officer's all had their badges branded onto their chest. What no one knows is whether the brands were made when the victims were alive, or not." The man turned the pictures he was carrying so that Conan could see them, each photo a rendering of the officer's burned chests. Horrible, red blister wounds covered a three by two inch span on torsos of the men. Every wound looked horrible and painful. Conan could only imagine the agony that would come of such a burn.

"So, you see I could do this either way. The decision is ultimately up to you. If you wish

to save you buddy from the extreme pain of feeling a hot, detailed block of metal burning its symbol onto his chest, I suggest you listen to me. You will behave tomorrow, do exactly as I say. Also, you will swear to completely follow me and obey my every command for the next month. And no this, if you choose to promise and then break it... well, I know several of your friends who I could brand and kill just as easily as this man."

Conan looked at the man in a simple, ice cold anger a he laid down his threat. The man simply continued to smile in response.

"Don't worry, I'll let you sleep on it. It is up to you whether this man suffers or not." He dropped the photo's as he left, leaving Conan to stare at the horrible, painful looking burns until an hour or later the lights were turned out.

* * *

If anyone is going to ask why the murderer didn't tell them if he did it before or after he killed them, it was because it wasn't really important to finding them.


	24. Chapter 24

Hi everyone, sorry for the shortness of this chapter.

I have some bad news: **I am going on a short Hiatus.** I am really, really sorry, but there is a big assignment for school where you write you own origional story, writing a new chapter every week and my chapters are usually about twenty pages long, also I'm going on a missions trip, entering a writing competition, have normal school and basketball... not to mention drama... Therefore, there probably won't be any more of this story until after new years... I won't forget though! I have outlines made up and everything! In fact, if its into the second or third week of January, feel free to yell at me for not posting. I may do occasional oneshots, but this will be on hold.

Main reason is I feel like the restriction of time are hurting my writing. Hattori was ooc a while ago, and now I think Satou is in this chapter, so...

Aslo, don't worry, no cliffhangers (kinda) just a filler-y chapter.

Also, I'm sorry if I didn't reply to your review, I wanted to but only got to some of them.

* * *

Time Line:

Sat: Kidnapping

Sun: Everyone searching, questions the men in jail, Mind games and hunger starts

Mon: DB go back to school, Question the man who tells them of first kitten, Takagi stabbed

Tues: Hattori arrives, Conan actually accepts food.

Wed: Hattori stops guy from stealing from police, The two meet Kinkalow/Vermouth

Thurs: Abyssinian dies, Satou worries, contacted by murderer

**Fri:**

Sat: Date Takagi is supposed to be found dead

* * *

Ran felt a silent tear fall down her face as her eyes locked down on the date on the calendar. There was no label, no writing in the small blank square, only the large red X's leading up to it. Yet even without any reminder she knew precisely what would happen this day. Another tear dribbled down her face and she let out the quietest of sniffles, trying hard not to wake anyone. It was still early in the morning, the sun hadn't even risen yet, but she hadn't been able to sleep. She couldn't see how any of the others could, especially knowing what was going to happen today. Today would be the last day of hope for Conan, for Takagi, for anyone finding them. She knew that they only knew that Takagi would be killed today, but they knew absolutely nothing of Conan. Takagi was their only link, only hope. Now he was going to be gone. What hope was there that Conan would survive?

The distraught girl opened her phone silently, gazing at the screen. She wouldn't call Shinichi though, not again. If he hadn't answered any of the other dozens of calls she'd made, he wasn't going to answer this one. It was like he just didn't... didn't care. No. The girl shook her head slightly. _Stop that, you're starting to sound like Sonoko. He probably hasn't even looked at his phone in weeks, stupid detective geek. _She closed her phone silently, her eyes locked on the calendar once again. She shivered slightly, looking down to the futon beside her bed where Kazuha had been sleeping while she stayed in Tokyo. Ran had tried to offer her bed, but the Osakan had flat out refused and Ran had been too worried and sad to really argue. Now Ran looked down to her friends bed, she was surprised to be met with a pair of large, open eyes. Her friend was awake.

"Hi, morning." The usually pony-tailed girl said softly, knowing better than suggest that the day was at all "good".

Ran allowed a small, half-felt smile to peek out on her face. "You're up?"

The other girl nodded. "I can't see how anyone could sleep tonight."

Ran nodded and sat up on her bed, Kazuha quickly mirroring the action. The Osakan smiled at her friend, knowing how much the girl would need support today. "Hey, if we eat now we can start looking sooner."

The half smile on Ran's face fell, and she glanced at the calendar once more before nodding and rising to her feet. The two silently left the room, not wanting to wake Heiji if he was still asleep in the living room. When they came into the room however, they found that he was nowhere to be seen, only a pile of blankets showing that he had been there at all.

"Mao, Heiji." Kazuha scoffed. "Of course he'd be gone before the crack of dawn, not even seeing if we were awake to go with him. On a school day you have to pry him out of bed with a fork lift."

Ray smiled slightly, exactly what her friend had been hoping. The two went into the kitchen to prepare a small breakfast. As they went past Kogoro's room a deep snoring was heard within.

"Geeze, good to know that someone is sleeping." Kazuha mumbled, but Ran said nothing, her face distraught. After the two ate the sun was rising in the distance, not that either of the girls was really looking at the sunrise.

"So, do you think Sonoko-chan will be up yet?" Kazuha asked, and Ran shook her head.

"Sonoko isn't exactly a morning person, besides she's probably really tired after all of this. I wouldn't be surprised of she wasn't up for a few more hou-_bzzt."_ Ran's phone buzzed, breaking into the girl's answer. She looked down at the device, surprised to see that the very girl they were talking about had sent her a message.

_Hope I didn't wake you up. I couldn't sleep. If you're up, wanna start early? _

Tears began to fall from Ran's eyes as she saw her lazy, spoiled friend offering to get up and search at this time of day. They continued to fall even as she texted back. _ Yes, thank you._ As she sent it, the last two words replayed over and over in her mind. She looked up to a confused Kazuha.

"She's up, and wants to start out early too." A face splitting grin appeared on the other girl's face.

"Well then what are we waiting for? Lets go!"

The teens left, leaving the house quiet until a few hours later Kogoro awoke and stumbled into the kitchen, surprised to see that he was alone. He called Eri, asking if she had found anything while going over the cases of those known to have been copied, only to be met with: "No, but I'm still looking." He ended the call and let out a long, despairing sigh before trudging out the door, dreading what would happen that day and the next.

The group of thee girls wandered for hours, but this day's search held no more news than any other's. Finally they rested on a park bench, the place nearly deserted because it was a school day. Each of the girls were silent, even Sonoko, and an air of despair hung over them. Ran's eyes glanced over the play equipment, her mind's eye seeing Conan and his friends playing, scheming, having fun. Sure, Conan had never seemed to particularly like the park, but he and his friends had visited it so often, the place seemed to have a permanent imprint of his presence.

"Don't worry Ran, we'll find him. I know we will. He's been in worse situations before." Sonoko said suddenly, trying to cheer the sullen girl up. Kazuha quickly joined forces with the wealthy girl.

"Yeah, and just look how many people are looking for him. We can't give up!"

Ran said nothing for a moment, then: "Dad came home drunk last night." She whispered. The two friends shared an uneasy glace at that, a chill going through them at their friend's quiet words.

"S-so, your dad is drunk all the time, he-"

"Not when he's really serious about a case. Not when someone he loves is in danger. If something like that happens, then he's completely serious, completely sober. He hasn't had a drop since the kidnapping... then last night he... he comes home completely drunk. It means he gave up. He lost hope. He'll probably go out again tonight but- but he's gone out every night and hasn't found anything! He doesn't expect to find anything anymore." Ran closed her eyes as tears threatened to fall down her face. Her father never gave up when the case was something important to him. When he really cared, he was an incredible detective. For him to just give up showed her how hopeless everything was.

"T-that can't be true!" Sonoko yelled, but it was useless, they all knew it was.

"It doesn't matter if your dad gave up," Kazuha exclaimed, a fire in her eyes. "Because I know Heiji didn't, Conan-kun, wherever he is you know that he hasn't, and we won't either." She jumped to her feet. "I'm not giving up until its all over, and it won't be over until Conan-kun is with us because I know we can find him. So lets go!"

Ran forced a false smile onto her face and rose, silently following behind her friends. Sonoko squeezed her friends hand slightly in comfort, smiling at her slightly as they continued their ever fruitless watch.

* * *

Haibara groaned as the teacher droned on about multiplication, her attention truly on the phone she had hidden under her desk. The Detective Boys sat around her, fidgeting with just as much uneasy energy, however they had no knowledge of the device the girl had. She was to the point where any information to be gained could be gotten through her phone, and could do little help at home. She was running out of leads anyway, the only information she had was already known by the police.

Her eyes glanced around at the children who had befriended her. She probably would've stayed home anyways, especially today, if it weren't for them. Hattori had shown up extremely early and convinced her to head to school. The kids didn't know about the size of the group, or about the officer murders, and certainly not about the deadline. As far as they were concerned, this day was the same as any other after Conan's disappearance and Haibara intended to keep it like that. The officer's had worked hard to keep the children oblivious, to keep them from knowing the deadline, and she was going to do everything possible to keep them from discovering the truth. That meant she had to try to keep them out of the investigation today. She didn't want them heading over to the police department and overhearing something. At the moment the mini-scientist wasn't sure how she was going to achieve that, but she was sure she was going to figure something out.

Finally the teacher concluded the lesson and announced that it was time for lunch. The shrunken girl closed her phone and stood following her younger friends to their usual table.

"I'm telling you, there was something weird about that guy! We should have followed him." Genta was saying loudly as they readied themselves for their meal.

"For the last time, someone isn't suspicions just because he can eat more eels than you. Besides, we didn't find any clues when we searched that way." Mitsuhiko argued back.

"We haven;t found any clues anywhere!" Ayumi cut in, making the two boy's share glances of worry. Mitsuhiko was the first to recover.

"Well, maybe if we went-"

"Um..." A voice spoke behind them. The group turned to see one of their female classmates looking at them shyly. Genta groaned in irritation.

"For the last time, we can't check out that haunted house. We're on another case right now. One That's really important."

"But this is important too! Please! I thought I heard something from it the other day, I'm really scared."

"We'll look at it after this case is over. I promise, you'll be the very first person on our list to help."

"Please! Mommy and daddy don't believe me, but I know something is over there."

"We can't just-"

"Whats going on?" Haibara finally asked, and all eyes were drawn to her.

"That's right!" Mitsuhiko said suddenly. "You haven't been at school all week. She thinks the house across the street is haunted, and wants to hire us."

"Yeah," Genta cut in. "But we have-ta find finish this case first. We can't just leave Conan and-"

"I think we should do it." The scientist interrupted. The girl looked up with hope, and the boy's in shock while Ayumi simply looked close to tears.

"Ai-chan! How could you say that? How could you just abandon Conan-kun like that?"

"I'm not abandoning him. I just think we may need a slight break from this case. Think about it, doesn't Edogawa-kun sometimes figure out something crucial to a case after he's walked away or started doing something else? Maybe we should do that and clear our minds." The kids still looked dubious, so she added. "Besides, imagine what happens when they do find him and he hears that we solved a case all on our own."

That struck a cord, the worry in everyone's faces turned to excitement as they realized: Yeah, Conan-kun'll probably be found or escape soon anyways. How excited will he be when he finds out we solved something all on our own! The girl was thanking them over and over, giving them the adress and everything.

Haibara, seeing that she had suitably distracted them and kept them out of the investigations for the day, sighed in relief. Part of her heart ached to know that she wouldn't be looking for Conan as much as she wanted, but she knew that she had to protect these kids.

Satou sat up in her bed, a slight scream at the tip of her lips. She felt a few shuddering breaths rip through her as her nightmare abated, only to feel panic swell up in her again as she realize how close to the truth it was. Today was the day. Today was the day. Today was the day. The mantra repeated in her head. Today was the day that yet another man she loved would die, and once again she would be powerless to stop it. For the first time in a long time she dropped the bravery and strength she wore so casually and let the fear course through her. Don't get me wrong, she was strong, she was brave, but she was also human, and was faced with the death of someone she cared for. Now she had to face what the world would be like with the knowledge that once again, she had failed.

As her torrent of emotion abated, she slowly got dressed and made it to the kitchen, where her mother was already up making breakfast. The woman, usually overbearing and insistent that she get a boyfriend, had been strangely subdued for the past week, sensing her daughter's turmoil. She heaped some food on a plate and set it out for her exhausted daughter to eat.

"Here you are honey, your favorite."

"Thanks." The younger woman mumbled, barely glancing at her mom. Midway through the meal the elder spoke again.

"Don't fear, sweetie. I know you'll find him. And if your father was here, he'd say the same thing."

Satou's hand clenched on the fork in her hand at the mention of her dead father, but she forced herself to relax. She nodded, and her mother's comforting grin turned slightly impish.

"And when you do find him, I expect you to invite this special lad over sometime. I would love to meet him and discuss your future."

Satou nearly choked on her food, looking at her mother in horro. "Mom!" Her mother smiled, happy to get a normal response from her usually vibrant offspring. Satou smiled slightly as well.

"Yeah, maybe I'll do that." Finished eating she left for work, sighing as she silently hoped that today, something would finally show up.


	25. Chapter 25

Hi everyone, I'm back! Thank you all so much for being so patient with me on this hiatus, it helped a lot with me schedule. Now I am back and ready for action! This is one of my longest chapters and definitely one of my hardest to write. I hope you guys like it. Its so sad, there are only a few chapters left. I think only two real chapters and an afterward if things go as plan. its so sad. I really want to thank all of my readers!

I hope you enjoy this long and difficult chapter!

* * *

Time Line:

Sat: Kidnapping

Sun: Everyone searching, questions the men in jail, Mind games and hunger starts

Mon: DB go back to school, Question the man who tells them of first kitten, Takagi stabbed

Tues: Hattori arrives, Conan actually accepts food.

Wed: Hattori stops guy from stealing from police, The two meet Kinkalow/Vermouth

Thurs: Abyssinian dies, Satou worries, contacted by murderer

**Fri: Date Takagi is scheduled to die,**

Sat: Date Takagi is supposed to be found dead

* * *

Takagi squinted and groaned as bright light shone into his eyes. By now the routine of waking up when the lights came on was old hat, and almost no different from waking up to an alarm. He sat up groggily for a moment, then stopped dead as memories came rushing back to him. His blood ran cold when he realized what day it was. The day he was destined to die. His mouth went dry and his heart pounded in his chest. Takagi barely noticed the calm, cocky form of Tabby as the man tramped down the stairs, two trays of food in hand. The officer's younger companion on the other hand, was much better at handling and hiding paralyzing fear and hopelessness and he deftly jumped from the top bunk to the floor.

The child stood a few feet from the gate, not nearly as intense and on-guard as he would have been had it been Lion facing him instead of Tabby. The cocky house-cat grinned down at the boy, setting the plates down as he opened the small food gate.

"Well good morning Kitten," He said in a demeaning, almost sarcastically cheerful voice. "Good news for you, since this is tall, dark, and ugly over there's last meal its something of a freebee. No charge, no begging, nothing. You know, it wouldn't be much to expect you to say thank you for a perk like that." He rose his eyebrows expectantly, but Conan simply rolled his eyes and took the trays as he slid them over, taking them to the shocked Takagi. Tabby huffed in annoyance but characteristically continued to talk as the two prisoners ate with relish.

"Fine then, be that way. However, I'll have you know that Lion also sent me to get your answer on a decision he wanted you to make yesterday. Hmm? So, do you have an answer for him?"

The sounds of eating stopped as the two froze, a look of panic and fear finally appearing on Conan's face, as well as a hidden frustration. Tabby let the silence stew for a moment before letting out a harsh bark of laughter. "So, no answer. Well good thing for you, Lion has been feeling extremely generous today. Told me you didn't have to answer until tonight, when its time for your little buddy to fulfill the last steps of the officer murders."

Conan shot the man a glare but he only smirked back, continuing to drive up gruesome pictures and tales of hopelessness until the two prisoners had finally finished eating and he walked back up the stairs, carrying the now empty trays. His departure left the two in a stunned, depressed sadness that Conan was the first to break.

"Don't listen to him. It won't happen. I won't let it."

Takagi sighed, deciding that it wouldn't hurt for him to play along. "I know Conan-kun, I know."

Conan began to pace back and forth, his chin nestled in his hands as an almost manic concentration in his eyes. Takagi sighed and leaned his head against the cool metal of the bunk bed poles, his bangs gripped in a fist. It was a while before either spoke, though when one did it was Takagi who broke the silence.

"Don't make any promises with him, Conan-kun. I don't care what he does or says about the branding. It isn't worth it."

Conan sighed and looked up at the officer, the light glaring off of his glasses as he looked back to the ground. "I doubt that it will make a difference no matter what I choose."

"What do you mean?"

"You are obviously the only thing that is keeping me obedient. Even Kinkalow could probably figure that out in a matter of seconds. Which means that considering we've been here a week, even Tabby should have figured it out."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Takagi's lips but he didn't dare interrupt the brainstorming boy.

"Once you're gone, they no longer have anything to hold over me, other than that promise if I agree to the deal. The problem is that they have no assurances that I will hold to the promises. They have little more reason to trust me than I do to trust them. Which means they should be _expecting_ me to break the promise. Even if that's not true, the deal only holds for a month.

"Of course they are expecting me to be completely brainwashed by the time the promise will be over. However, you and I both know that won't be the case and I'm pretty sure that Lion is starting to doubt as well. I'll spend that entire month having to watch my back and make sure I keep from being brainwashed, but don't act out too enough to endanger anyone. The question is: what will they do to hold me to my promise and to keep me tame after the month is up. It's obvious, they'll do what worked the first time and threaten someone I care about."

Takagi listened in awe as the boy laid out a detailed analysis of the possibilities, laying the ground works of Lion's planning and reasoning. With a shiver the officer realized that is was almost as if the boy was used to analyzing the thoughts and actions of large and unscrupulous criminal groups.

"The problem with that is that all of my friends are wither officers, detectives, or are always around officers and detectives. That means that they probably wouldn't risk simply threatening to get them and kill them if I acted up. There is no guarantee that they would have a clear shot at any of them. Especially considering that they may well be on guard more after all of this. In all likelihood its possible that they would take one of them just like they took us, lock them up in another one of these hiding holes and... that would be that. If they took one of the kids they could even try to make them a Cat while using them against me.

"If I did anything, they would just kill them and get another person. I could be stuck like that until I died, or finally snapped, whichever came first. The problem is, if I did crack, not that I can see that happening, I doubt that they would set them free. Whoever they had at the time would have already seen too much. It would be easier for them to just kill them rather than risk letting them go. So its pretty much a dead end decision. Agreeing to this stupid decision would only put it off for a month. The only way I could change it from this outcome would be if I agreed and managed to pretend whatever Lion did worked and I don't think he'd fall for-"

Suddenly he stopped, his face displaying complete shock. "What am I saying? None of this matters because I am going to get us out of here before any of this happens." He shook his head and resumed his pacing. Takagi let out a sigh. Enough was enough, they had to face the facts. Gone was the time that they could pretend and hope that they could escape. Now they needed to plan for Conan's future after Takagi was dead. He had to make sure that the vision never came true. The officer knew that Conan knew it was hopeless too, but the young detective was in denial, something that he could certainly understand. However, it wasn't helping anyone.

"Conan-kun, I don't know if you are trying to lie to me or to yourself, but we both know the truth. We need to stop pretending and start preparing for what will happen if we don't escape."

Conan stopped. His fists clenched and the glare from his glasses hid his eyes. "Don't talk like that. I know there is a chance you- we won't make it out. I'm taking it into consideration. I'm thinking about everything, but know this: we will escape. I will not let you die at their hands."

He continued to pace, his brain obviously working overdrive. Takagi sighed and leaned back against the bed. The food had been a nice change, but he still felt fairly weak. Though that could be the fear talking. Oh well. He closed his eyes, casting out with his mind for a way to escape. Unfortunately he was met with a mental brick wall. He idly listened to his younger companion as he muttered stuff at random.

"I could... that would give us some time, but only a few moments at most, and I can't see any way to capitalize on it. It would end up as an irritation and nothing more... probably count as breaking the deal if I took it... that would work if I knew someone was coming... that would be nice if I could just be certain that he would fall for it... that would rely almost entirely on Takagi-keiji's less than par acting skills... maybe if I didn't tell him... no, it would still only take up time..."

The officer listened as the boy tried to create plans, discarded them, and tried to come up with new ones. The thought crossed his mind that he would probably die facing his biggest mystery and failure. The Conan case. He sighed once more. He was so close too, but it looked like it was impossible to solve. On his own at least. He smirked at the thought and looked down at his tiny cellmate. There was one individual who could probably help a lot on this particular mystery, not that he would be too keen to help. Then again, at this point it wouldn't hurt anything to ask. He took a deep, shaky breath. Now, where to start.

"Conan-kun, do you remember that time in the elevator, the one with the bomb?"

The boy stopped his pacing and looked up at him, confused and slightly irritated that his thoughts had been interrupted. "Mmm hmm. I remember."

"I was thinking about a conversation we had back then," Conan tensed visibly and Takagi continued. "I was wondering if you could reconsider your answer."

Conan's eyes widened and his fists were clenched so tight that the officer worried that his palms may begin bleeding. The boy spoke slowly and carefully, his voice a deep baritone. "I told you, not until we meet in the afterlife. I won't tell you until then."

The officer cleared his throat. "At this point it seems I will make it to the underworld a lot sooner than you will. This is probably the closest to the other side that I could be. I was hoping you may consider answering a little early, as a dying wish of sorts. It's not like the secret will ever leave this room."

"It's not a dying wish, you won't die." Conan said weakly, but walked over until he sat across from the officer on the bed. Both knew that though he could protest all he wanted, there was nothing he could do. He wouldn't give up, not until the bullet was in the officer's chest, but he knew that pacing and staining his mind would yield no results. He looked down, refusing to raise his head. "I can't tell you, Takagi-keiji. I've only told one person. I'm sorry but there is a reason why I wanted to wait until the afterlife. It was the only time when the knowledge couldn't hurt you. At least, I hope we'd be safe there."

Takagi's heart went cold. Was the secret really that important? Was it that serious? Did he really want to know? Yes, yes he did. He had to know. It was a drive, his goal. His mind relayed a pledge he'd made when he first started observing the boy, a pledge to 'discover the truth or dye trying'. Unless he could convince Conan otherwise, it seemed like it would be the latter.

"Conan-kun, lets face it. In a few hours I probably won't have to worry about anything like that."

Conan looked up sharply. "Yeah? Well, what happens when we do make it out of here? If we do escape? Then you know information that puts you on the hit list of-" He cut off suddenly. "It puts you in danger."

Takagi could blood rushing through his ears, He knew that whatever Conan was involved in was deep, but to hear the boy talking about it, to hear him go on about the dangers he was facing... it made his blood go cold. Still, he had to know. He swallowed slightly before trying a different approach.

"Maybe... maybe I already know more than you think I do."

Conan looked up sharply as Takagi continued. "How about I tell you what I have already been able to figure out, and if you want to you can fill in the blanks."

Conan frowned and once again gripped his chin. He gazed over to the locked door before sighing and leaning back against the wall at the side of the bed. "You can try, but I won't promise I'll say anything."

Takagi looked to the ground, unsure of where to start. "W-well... First of all, I know you aren't a normal seven year old. You have a really big secret that almost nobody knows. You are extremely intelligent and are an incredibly amazing detective, even though you kind of hide it and..."

Conan was staring at him, extremely unimpressed. One of the child's eyebrows rose as if to say: really? That's all you got?

The officer shuddered in panic. "W-w-wait! That's not all I have! Trust me, I have more! That's was just kind of a- a preview or something. Trust me."

Conan looked at him dubiously and rolled his eyes, but otherwise did nothing. The officer quickly resumed talking. "I know that it's you who solve all of Mouri's cases. Conan froze, his wide eyes meeting the detective. Takagi continued with relief evident in his voice. "You use some kind of dart in your watch to knock him out, and then you use your bow tie to copy his voice."

"How did you know about that?"

"I've seen you, tons of times. Sometimes I'll even purposely stand in front of you to keep other people from noticing. You don't always use the darts, sometimes you just guide us with hints until someone understands. You do it with Sonoko-san too, and sometimes you use a little speaker so that you can run around and do things like pointing out evidence or preforming an example while revealing the case. You do something similar Agasa-hakase sometimes too, but instead of knocking him out you just tell him to move his lips because he knows your secret. That's how you get all of those little devices you have. The shoes, bow tie, watch, and all of that stuff. He made it just like how he makes all of those little toys and inventions he makes."

Now Conan was looking at him with a little more respect. "I didn't know that anyone else knew about that. There have been some pretty close calls but I thought I hid it pretty well."

"W-well you did. It took me a long time to notice it, but once I did and knew what to look for it was pretty obvious."

Conan nodded, but his eyes hardened as he looked back up to the officer. "You said that you though that Agasa-hakase knew the secret. Is he the only one who you think knows."

"Ah, no. Um, I thought Hattori-kun knew because you act... different around him but you just said that you'd only told one person so I guess That's not right..."

Conan shook his head. "Just because I only told one person it doesn't mean that only one person knows. Hattori is a good detective. He figured it out on his own the second time we met."

Takagi's breath caught in his throat. This was the first information that the child had knowingly and willingly gave him. It was a step closer to getting him to tell the whole truth. "Oh. Is there anyone else who figured it out?"

Conan looked up sharply. "That's something that I won't tell you unless you already know. Some names I'd like to keep to myself. The more people who know, the more people are in danger."

"R-right, sorry. Um, I think Kid knows it and that one woman. The blond woman who said that Lion called her Panther. She knew, I'm sure of it. She even kind of threatened to tell me when you started yelling at her."

Conan didn't raise his head. He kept his eyes locked on the bed and nodded, Takagi felt his blood freeze, knowing that there was no turning back anymore. He was getting into the heart of the secret, into the dark and dangerous lands where there was no turning back. He took a deep breath and continued.

"I- I know that whatever the secret is, They have something to do with it."

Conan made a choking noise and looked up with horrified eyes, as though Takagi had just condemned himself to death. The officer took a slow, deep breath before continuing.

"I don't know who They are."

Extreme relief crossed Conan's face, and Takagi looked down before continuing. "I've only heard you call them Them, or call someone Him. The woman knew about Them too, it seemed like she was a member and you knew it. She make a joke about the color black, as though it had something to do with the other group somehow. Also, you seem to get more... intense if you hear anything about criminals dressed in black so I think there's a connection there. That's all I know about them. They have something to do with your secret, that woman is one of them, and they wear black. I don't know anything else."

Conan wouldn't meet Takagi's eyes. "That may already be too much. They don't leave loose ends of any kind."

"They're after you, aren't they? That's why you're always so paranoid, why you try so hard to hide the secret. You're worried that if anyone else knows the secret and they find you, whoever knows will be killed. Its why you were on guard so much when the woman was here, why it freaked you out so much. Wait, no... that can't be right. If she knew why wouldn't she say anything to the people trying to kill you?" He sighed. He'd been feeling so confident about that. Conan however was mutely shaking his head.

"Shes... unpredictable. She knows all right, and shes one of Them, but she won't turn me in. I'm not sure why. Shes a woman with her own agenda. As to everything else... you were right. About everything. You may already know too much about them, you might already be in danger."

Takagi's heart soared. If that were true then maybe Conan wouldn't feel as bad about revealing the secret. If he already knew too much then knowing that little bit more couldn't do too much damage. However, he could see that the child was still reluctant. The officer swallowed slightly. Now was the time to go out on a limb. He had a theory, more like a complete guess, and it was time to try it out. He had no evidence, nothing that anyone said could be taken as a hint toward this conclusion. It was nothing more than a feeling, a sixth sense, but it was a chance he felt he had to take.

"They... They did this didn't they? Whatever your secret is, they caused it. That's why you want to catch them and why they want to kill you."

Conan nodded slowly as his eyes burned in hatred and anger. "Yes, that (insert here a string of curses and insults that would make Nakamouri proud) organization. They did this."

Takagi's breath caught in his throat as Conan's voice took on a new gravity. "You figured out a lot, but if I remember correctly your question in the elevator was 'who are you' and that is one thing you haven't figured out." With one hand Conan gripped the frame of his glasses and took them up, locking eyes with the startled officer. "My name is Kudo Shinich-tanteisan."

Takagi fell back against the bed, suddenly unable to breath. The teen sat silently, watching his reaction. The officer struggled to regain his breath. "K-kudo Shinichi? The seventeen year old detective who went missing. The one in love with Ran-chan?"

A large blush was the only confirmation the man needed. "B-but how?"

"Two men, two of Them, were doing an illegal deal and I winessed it. Unfortunately I didn't realize that there were two until it was too late. While I was focused on one the other came up from behind and attacked me. They used an experimental drug that was supposed to kill without a trace, but instead it did... this. I ran to Agasa for help. I had to make up the identity of Conan Edogawa and went to live with Ran in hopes that Mouri-san would come across Them in one of their cases."

"I bet that gets awkward." The officer said, his mind wandering slightly as the startling revelation threw him for a loop. Conan looked surprised and a calculated look crossed his features, but then he chuckled.

"You have no idea. Its not always awkward or funny though." His voice took on a somber tone and he started strangling his glasses, anger and sadness making its way across his childish face. "Sometimes I hear her cry for me, for Shinichi, and I can't do anything to help. I just have to sit there and listen, hiding behind these stupid glasses!" Conan threw the lenses brutally across the room with a growl. They bounced against the wire gate with a clang, leaving the two detectives in the room to a tense silence. Takagi sorted through the added information, marveling about how mush sense it made, as Conan fumed. Finally the pseudo-child stood and retrieved his glasses with a sigh.

The boy closed the glasses and handed them to the detective. "I'm still sure that I'll find a way out of this. But just in case I want you to take these. Put them in your pocket so that when they find you they'll see these. Hattori or someone else will take them as a sign that I was with you. Hopefully they'll realize that its a sign that I'm still alive. Listen to me though. I will find us a way out of this. I'm Shinichi Kudo, and I will not let a friend die in front of me."

Takagi placed the spectacles in the chest pocket of his coat. He began to respond when suddenly a large crash sounded from inside the house. "What was that?" He questioned. Conan rose and walked over to lean against the cell door. Takagi followed, wincing as the movement tugged a little as the side wound Lion had given him a few days ago. Without any medicine or stitches, it wasn't healing as quickly as usual. The two leaned against the gate, unsure of what the noise could be. The door at the top of the stairs opened slowly, and the two could only gasp is absolute shock when those behind the door came into view.

* * *

Ending a hiatus with a cliffy? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! hehehe, sorry! by the way if Takagi seems uncharacteristically mopey, its also because he is kind of trying to get Conan to tell him as well as the fact that he is facing death.


	26. Chapter 26

Hi everyone! Oh my, only a chapter or two left! (Plus Omake) Wow, its incredible. I thought this would be the second to last chapter but I didn't get as far as I thought and this is already my longest chapter so far! I'm glad so many people liked the last chapter, I was worried because the confession has been done so much in fanfics.

Wow, I was rereading this and I can't beleive how much stuff I randomly forgot... wow. Like, who remembers that Kazuha made an charm for Ran to give Conan? Not me! And Tabby in the first few chapters was so strange. HE was lying to them just in case they escaped, but everything he tells them is just so off track with what the actual plan was... yikes.

So yeah, hope you like this chappie, stuff is starting to come together!

Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed and favorited and followed! Hope you like the following chapters!

* * *

Time Line:

Sat: Kidnapping

Sun: Everyone searching, questions the men in jail, Mind games and hunger starts

Mon: DB go back to school, Question the man who tells them of first kitten, Takagi stabbed

Tues: Hattori arrives, Conan actually accepts food.

Wed: Hattori stops guy from stealing from police, The two meet Kinkalow/Vermouth

Thurs: Abyssinian dies, Satou worries, contacted by murderer

**Fri: Date Takagi is scheduled to die, Conan confesses**

Sat: Date Takagi is supposed to be found dead

* * *

Hattori wandered through the city, wracking his mind and staring intently at the large glasses on his face. He'd snatched them earlier that day when he'd gone to convince Haibara to go to school and keep the kids from investigating. A grid pattern appeared on the screen, and his eyes searched desperately for the tell tale light that would work as a beacon should he get close enough to the transmitter on Conan's glasses. He knew that Haibara had told him earlier that it wasn't working, but he wanted to take them anyway, just in case.

Satou had his number and promised to call if they found anything, but until them he was just going to have to try and figure things out on his own. His mind relayed every bit if information, anything that could be a clue. His gut told him that he was close, now he just had to find them. He looked down at the list of suspicious houses. There were a couple of them around, some of which he could take one look at and know that it wasn't where Kudo was, others which he wasn't so sure about. He sighed as he crossed another obvious hose off of the list. There was still no sign of movement on the lens Oh well, he would stop at nothing to find Kudo.

* * *

A young officer stood pouring some of the offices scalding hot coffee into a small Styrofoam cup. His eyes shifted to where the departments main murder team sat pouring over a pile of papers knowing that if he got anywhere close the papers would immediately disappear and he would be met with suspicious glares. The officer, know in some circles as Ocelot, sighed to himself in anger.

Ever since that supposed call with the original officer murderer, no one other than that main group had been allowed even near the case of Takagi and Conan's disappearance. Ocelot, still a rookie, hadn't been able to hear a whisper of information since then. He was going out now to meet with Lion and Tabby too. They wanted to get information on what the cops knew before they actually killed the guy. Lion would not be happy with the news. Oh well, it wasn't like the cops would find anything useful anyways. That guy was as good as dead.

As he glanced he saw the female officer, Takagi's girlfriend, grip the corner of her desk as a wide range of emotions crossed her face. She seemed sad, angry, frustrated, and desperate.

He sipped from his drink to hide his smirk. They were coming undone, feeling the heat. They were feeling Lion's claws sink in. He walked back to his desk, twirling his handcuffs as he walked. He tried in vain to see the paperwork as he passed. No, he hadn't been able to gain any more information, but that didn't matter. He doubted that there was truly any information to gain.

* * *

The detective boy's chatted amiably as they walked down the street to the "haunted house", only pausing when an awkward silence was created when one of them called to Conan-kun to ask something, or a statement was said to which the bespectacled boy would usually reply and they found themselves waiting to hear what he would say. Such events were always carefully covered by an awkward chuckling or a hurried reply from Haibara, but before the conversation could truly begin again a look of sadness and fear would cross their features. Ayumi made the mistakes the most, and seemed the most upset when she made them. They were all strangely muted, not nearly as energetic as they usually would be at the chance to show Conan up.

None of them felt that they should be solving their own little mystery when Conan was still in danger, but they had promised the girl they would go, and they all knew that a good detective never broke a promise. Also, Haibara was strangely insistent that it would be best for them to take the day off.

"T-thats the place." The girl who'd hired them said softly, fear in her eyes. The group turned to look at the house, surprised at how it looked. Yes, it certainly looked empty, but it wasn't foreboding in the least. If anything it was a huge letdown compared to some of the places they'd ghost-hunted. It was a fairly modern building with a garage, set into a fairly comfortable looking neighborhood. If anything, the place was the epitome of nondescript.

"Uh, are you sure this is the right place?" Gent asked, confusion and a hint of frustration written across his face as he realized that they may have just been wasting their time.

"It certainly doesn't look haunted." Mitsuhiko added, standing on tiptoes in attempt to see better.

The girl simply shook her head forcibly. "No, I know that place is haunted. Mommy says its empty but I keep on seeing shadows and hearing weird noises. Then a lady told me that a family she knew died there! Please go check it out!"

Haibara looked at the house, not nearly as skeptical as the others. A feeling of instinctual dread was settling in her stomach, one that spiked each time the girl mentioned the woman who told her the story. Something wasn't right here. "Looks can be deceiving," she muttered softly.

Th children looked at each other and sighed before walking in. After a few steps they realized that the girl hadn't come with them.

"Oi, aren't you coming?" Genta cried out. The girl looked up, startled, before a look of intense fear covered her features and she shook her head emphatically. She half hid herself behind a nearby lamppost, peeking out at them through one eye. Ai sighed before calling back to the girl.

"If you aren't coming then there is no reason for you to stay here. Just go home and we'll take care of it."

The girl looked unsure until Ayumi called out. "Don't worry, we'll call you if anything happens. Remember, we're professionals."

Their classmate still seemed unsure, but after a moments hesitation she called out a 'thanks' and sprinted across the small street to her home. The children continued to the house, searching for an alternate way in after they found that the door was locked. They found it a few moments later in a small animal door in the back of the garage. A metal covering kept any wild animals from coming in, but it was easy for the human children to remove.

Haibara frowned at the metal slab before following the kids. It was strange, usually the barrier would be in the inside. It was like whoever blocked the hole wasn't as worried about something getting in, as much as something getting out. The girl shook her head slightly. She was starting to sound like Kudo. This wasn't some mastermind's hideout, it wasn't even a real case. It was just some kid afraid of the creepy house across the street.

With that in mind she crawled in after the children, pulling the cover in behind her and leaning it up against the hole. She stood and dusted some of the dirt that covered her off. They were standing in an empty garage. "Well, it certainly looks empty." She commented dryly. The detective boys nodded in agreement before the group explored the rest of the house. They went to where the family had supposedly died first, but there was nothing in the stairs to suggest a death, nor was there any hint of a chandelier ever being in the room. The group was all slightly uneasy and a lot more skeptical about the whole ordeal after that, but let it never be said that they gave up too soon.

The group went up the stairs and examined all of the rooms, but saw nothing other than empty rooms with the occasional odd furniture. A desk in this room, a bed over here, maybe a chair or two. They did the same in the kitchen, but found no more evidence of life. It wasn't until they reached the kitchen that doubt began to enter their minds.

"Finally, I'm starving." Genta said as the entered the kitchen, his eyes set on the fridge.

"Genta-kun!" Ayumi admonished as Mitsuhiko yelled at the tubby child as well.

"What are you doing? Anything in here is probably years old."

"Nuh-uh!" He said, pulling a carton of milk out of the device. "The expiration day for this isn't for a few more days!"

"What?" Haibara said sharply before rushing over and snatching the drink out of the boy's hand. It was true, the milk still had a few days left. There were a couple of other items in the fridge as well. There wasn't much, perhaps just enough to keep two or three people fed for another day.

"Wait," Mitsuhiko said suddenly, placing his chin in his hands as he thought. "If its set to expire in a few days, then that means that someone must have just gotten it!"

"Yeah!" Ayumi said suddenly, her face brightening slightly for the first time in a while. "And ghosts don't need food, so it must be a human. There really is someone living here!"

"They sure don't want anyone to know that though." Haibara said calculatingly.

"Hey, there are a few dishes in here too!" Genta cried out, standing on top of the counter and peering into the cabinets. "Some of them are still wet from being washed." He reached out on tiptoe to feel them, only for his socked feet to slip. He yelled out as he crashed to the floor, landing with a large bang as the plate he'd been holding broke on the floor beside him.

"Genta!"

"Genta-kun!" Two of the children cried out, rushing to their friend and attempting to pick up the ceramic shards. Haibara had tensed, freezing in knowledge that whoever was hidden in the house would have heard the crash. To her relief no one came and she bent down to help with the glass as Genta rubbed his head in a daze.

"What were you thinking?" Ayumi asked, worry in her voice. "Your socks are slippery."

"I didn't want to leave mud on the counter," The large boy said sheepishly. His friends simply sighed as Mitsuhiko took a handful of the broken plate and dumped it into the trash can.

"Woah," He said as he opened the small can's lid. "There is a lot of food in here. It looks like whole meals were thrown away."

The others went over to peer into the lid as well, Genta hopping as he tried to put his shoes on. They peered into the can to see that it was true. Haibara winced slightly. She was getting a bad feeling about this. The others shared none of her foreboding, instead they simply pondered the mystery of the trash.

"Why would someone throw all of this away? And why is the house so empty?"

"Why doesn't whoever lives here want people to know that they're here?"

There was a slight silence and Ayumi's quiet voice spoke. "Conan-kun would know."

Nobody spoke. It was true, Conan would have figured it out by now. He would know what was happening. Their faces turned worried and sad. Haibara sighed. Since when was it her job to cheer people up? "Come on guys, I saw one more door we haven't gone through. It looks like it leads to a basement, maybe we'll find some more clues down there."

The group nodded, but the mood had certainly been dampened. Haibara led the to the door, swinging it open. Their group was met with two familiar, surprised faces. In a moment of shock and joy a strange and ill-fitting thought through Haibara's sarcastic mind. 'Well, so much for keeping them from investigating.'

Takagi's mouth dropped. "Genta-kun, Ayumi-chan, Haibara-san, and mitsuhiko-kun?"

"Conan-kun! Takagi-keiji!" The high pitched shriek of Ayumi's young voice called out, the rest of the detective boys quickly picking up the call as they began to rush down the stairs. Conan's eyes shot to the left, his head nevermoving, and he warily caught sight of the security camera.

"Stop!" Conan shouted, his hands gripping the metal door as he shook it slightly. "Don't come any closer than the second to last step." He continued to move his mouth without really speaking as the children nearly fell over themselves trying to stop at the desired step. Haibara calmly trailed down the steps after them, her face blank with shock.

"What are you doing?" Genta asked, pointing to Conan's still moving lips.

The young detective paused for a moment before speaking again, surprising everyone by yelling even though the two groups were fairly close. "There's a security camera in here. He could be watching it right now and I don't want him to know that you guys are here."

He suddenly gripped the chain link gate tighter and kicked at it, lowing his head as though in defeat. In low, nearly whispering tones he spoke. "Takagi-keiji, put a hand on my shoulder and pretend to lead me back to the bed. Sit with your back to the camera and any time I tap my fingers to the bed, pretend to talk. Look at the door as little as possible."

"H-hai." Takagi nodded and did as the child said, setting into his usual spot on the bed. Conan's head was still lowered, but he spoke loudly and clearly to the children on the other side of the door. "How did you guys find us?"

Ayumi answered, her small voice shaking. "W-we didn't know you were here. A friend of ours thought this house was haunted so we decided to check it out."

Conan tapped his fingers and Takagi's mouth moved, he nodded at what Ayumi said. TGenta's eyes suddenly widened as a thought struck him. "Hey, but don't think that we weren't looking for you or somethin. We've been searching all week! Haibara-san said that it might help for us to take our minds off of the investigation or something."

"Yeah!" Mitsuhiko agreed.

"Don't worry, I expected that." Conan said, never once giving up his charade for the camera. "Does anyone else know you're here?"

Haibara shook her head. "The professor knows that we went to find a haunted house, but I never told him the address."

Suddenly, a question burst out of Ayumi as though it had been painful for her to keep it in. "Are you guys all right?"

The other children looked down to the girl who had finally voiced the question that burned in all of their minds. Their gazes flashed from the bruise still littering half of Conan's face to the twin cloth bandages the two captives sported on their arms to the slightly pink cloth around Takagi's stomach. They seemed skinnier than the group remembered, and dark bags hung under their eyes, more pronounced by Conan's lack of glasses. The two looked anything but okay.

"We're fine. But you need to hurry and call the police. We only have a few hours left until its too late."

"What happens then?" Mitsuhiko breathlessly asked. Conan breathed deeply before answering.

"They kill Takagi and take me away to train me into becoming one of them."

The children gaped in shock, even Haibara's blood ran cold.

"You wouldn't let that happen right? You wouldn't let them kill Takagi-keiji and turn you into a bad person." Ayumi asked fearfully.

"Of course not!" Conan retorted. "Not if I can help it at least. But I'm running out of ways to get us out of this. This might be my last chance to escape for a long time."

The children looked at one another. Almost as one they reached for their backpacks and phones,only to stop as they realized that they were back outside where they left them after finding that they couldn't fit through the pet door with them on.

"They're outside!" Genta wailed, and Conan gave a sharp nod.

"Go get them and call the police with the address, then get away from here as fast as you can. I don't want them to catch you here."

"Hai!" The children called, clamoring for the stairs as quickly as they could,suddenly Conan remembered something.

"Wait!" He shouted, making sure to move his mouth exaggeratedly for the camera. He glanced at the group out of the corner of his eyes. Most of the kids were wearing their usual, bright kiddie T-shirts, but Ai had on a dark, navy sweater. "Haibara, stay where you are but look at the ground in front of the gate. Do you see that little piece of black plastic?"

"Yes."

"I threw my glasses at the gate earlier, but I unscrewed the tracker hoping it would go past whatever was blocking it and keeping you from tracking me. Pull your sleeves over your hands and grab it while I create a distraction. I don't want to risk them finding it if I already know hope is coming. I don't know what he'd do if he figured it out."

She eyed the bandages and the bruises that littered the bodies of the two prisoners before nodding. The small scientist knelt down, preparing to grab the black nob. "I'm ready. What is the distraction?"

Conan swallowed slightly. There weren't many option available to him that was sure to get almost all of Lion's attention without being so crazy and out of character that it would make the man suspicious. Also, it had to be something that he wouldn't come down to check out. HE wasn;t sure where the man was, but he wasn't going to take any chances. At the moment there was only one thing that he could think of. He stood on the bed, keeping his head down as he rose. "Sorry, Takagi-keiji." He whispered. The officer looked at the boy-teen in confusion.

"Wha- AHH!  
Conan had begun to climb over him to get off the bed when he tripped. His hands shot out to brace his fall, one of them landed squarely on the knife wound on Takagi's stomach. The officer let out a loud cry of surprise, doubling over to protect the wound. "HAIBARA, NOW!" Conan shouted, and the hand snatched out to grip the small black plastic. Takagi was still doubled over gasping and Conan hovered around him.

"You could've given me a warning." The man said between gasps.

"Sorry," Conan mumbled. "It wouldn't have been realistic if you knew it was coming." Still bent over the officer the boy called out to his friends. "Okay, now you guys should get out of here before someone comes. Remember, call the police as soon as possible and-"

The boy cut off, his heart beating and his blood running cold as the door at the top of the staircase opened, a familiar looking cat's face peering through.

The entire room froze as the door opened, all of its inhabitants' eyes locked on the door. The tension never left, even as the small, shocked face of Kinkalow appeared around the door. For the moment not a word was said, and every person in the room was dead still. Six detectives stared in fear at this one child cat. Finally, slowly, Kinkalow moved. He silently closed the door behind him and stared past the children on the steps, locking eyes with the boy behind the gate.

The small House Cat spoke in a near whisper. "Are these... are these guys other puppies?"

Conan and Takagi visibly relaxed, the detective boys following suit despite their obvious confusion.

"Who are you?" Ayumi asked.

"Puppies?" Genta said with confusion in his voice.

Conan however, knew exactly what the boy was talking about. "Yes, they are. They're my friends."

"And... and they figured out how to find you? And they came? Even though it was dangerous and they could die?"

"Die!" The children chorused in fear, but neither Kinkalow not Conan paid them any attention. Haibara stood by in rapt interest.

Conan nodded at the Cat. "Dogs have always been known for being loyal. I knew they'd be there for me."

Kinkalow frowned slightly, his gaze falling to the ground. "That sounds nice. Persian says its always every Cat for himself. D- do you think I could ever become a puppy?" He asked, his voice low.

"I know that you don't have to remain a cat." Conan replied. "But the first step of that is disobeying the Lion. Do you think that you can do that?"

"What do you want me to do?"

"Don't tell him that you saw my friends. When the time is right, and the puppies have led the dogs to the cats hideout, run to the dogs. You're young. Once they understand what happened they'll help."

Kinkalow nodded. "O-okay."

"One other thing, I need you to keep Lion distracted while they escape."

"He's not here. He and Tabby went to meet with Ocelot about something. Persian gave me the day off and I wanted to come here."

Conan sighed in relief. By now the detective boys' heads were spinning with confusion. Genta raised his hands as though he was in school, a dazed look in his eyes. "Um, you aren't talking about real animals, right?"

"No, Genta-kun, they're codenames." Haibara said smoothly, straightening up from against the wall. "We need to hurry. We've been here too long as it is."

"Right!" The kids cheered, and Kinkalow jumped as he opened the door.

Conan and Takagi silently watched them as the group walked up the stairs. They could only hope for the best, and fear the worst. "You were quiet." Conan said when the group was gone.

"Hm?" The officer responded, surprised. "I guess I was. I must be too used to the Cats all ignoring me." He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. Then the man sighed. "What do you think about Kinkalow wanting to be a puppy?"

"To be expected. I painted quite a pretty picture of it. The timing worked out pretty well."

"Do you think the police will get here in time?"

"I don't know. I have some ideas to stall though. I just hope it'll be long enough."

"Do you think the... the branding will take up a lot of time?"

"Of course it would, but that wouldn't be according to the plan." An impish grin stole across the teen-child's face, and Takagi, for the first time in a while, felt that he may get out of this alive.

* * *

Hattori sighed as he hung up the phone. He'd called Satou but apparently they didn't have any more news. She was working hard though, he could hear it in her voice. His cell buzzed and he looked down. Hope inflated in his chest, only to fall when he saw that it was just a text from Kazuha to meet at a nearby cafe. He grumbled as he texted that he would meet them there. He really didn't want to stop looking but he knew that his mind would work better on a full stomach, plus he knew that the girls were working hard too. They'd been up for hours after all.

He had a few minutes until they wanted to meet though. Might as well finish looking around and-

He stopped dead still. His heart beat loudly in his chest. There, at the very bottom of the glasses screen, there was a small, blinking dot. He set off at a dead run, sprinting around corners and through alley ways, watching with his heart in his throat as he neared the dot.

* * *

Kinkalow led the detective boys through the hallways of the house, heading towards the garage where they could grab their backpacks. He bit his lip as he led them, unsure of what to say. That problem was quickly taken care of when the outspoken Detective Boys didn't bother holding in their curiosity about the 10 year old.

"Who are you?" Ayumi asked, coming up from behind him. "Why are you here, are you one of the kidnappers?"

The child looked to the girl,surprised at her bluntness. "My name is Kinkalow. I... I guess I am, but I don't think I want to be anymore."

The children looked to his in confusion, but before they could ask anything they were interrupted by the slam of a door. The group froze as Tabby entered the room. For a moment nobody moved, each of there eyes locked on one another. Suddenly Haibara let out a loud, shrill scream, the frightened Detctive Boys quickly following suit. Tabby and Kinkalow jumped at the loud noise, the cats' eyes met in confusion.

"A-a a ghost!" Haibara yelled, and the children, still unsure of what was going on, simply continued to scream in fear.

"G-ghost?" The man stuttered. "What are you talking about?"

"We heard that this house was h-haunted! We wanted to check it out!" The light haired girl cried, and finally the other children understood. Even Kinkalow figured it out. He took the charade further, his expertise with Persian making him an expert tale-spinner.

"Sorry, Itoumo-ojisan. I was coming to visit and while I was here I heard them after they sneaked in. I tried to tell them it wasn't haunted, but they didn't believe me." Kinkalow couldn't let Tabby knew that they saw Puppy, it was the only was that any of the kids would get out alive. If Tabby knew that they'd seen the cage, then that was it. They would be killed and Puppy would just become another Kitten.

Tabby's eyes darted back and forth between Kinkalow and the children before jerking his head to the side."Can I talk to you for a second, kid?" He asked, and the ten year old nodded before following the man to the next room. Haibara's eyes followed suspiciously.

Tabby looked back to the boy once they were out of earshot. "What really happened?"

"Persian gave me the day off and I came over 'cause I wanted to talk to Kitten." He kept his voice normal and casual, his mind forming excuses for thousands of different questions that Tabby could ask. Persian had made him a lion machine, the Cats had made him a professional. Now it was time to use it against them. "I was talking to him when I heard a crash. I came up and found them talking about hunting for ghosts. I was just trying to convince them that the place wasn't haunted when you showed up."

Tabby glanced back at his phone before peering around the corner to look at the waiting children. "I should talk to Lion about what to do?"

"And just make them wait here while you do that? He's busy, isn't he? It could be forever before he responds to a text and you know his rules about House Cats never calling him."

Tabby grumbled unhappily. "Maybe I could offer them refreshments to... I don't know apologizing or something."

"What refreshments? Lion only expected to stay here for another day. There's nothing left in the house."

Tabby grumbled slightly. "Should I take them to a cafe or something? There's one on the corner and that would give me time."

Kinkalow frowned. He couldn't think of a reason to convince him not to, and at least the cafe would give the kids a chance to get out of the house and attempt to call the police. He nodded and Tabby walked out to talk to the children, and Kinkalow could see that they didn't like it, but just like him they could think of no excuse. Within moments the young group was trailing after the man, backpacks on their backs, as they began walking down the street. Haibara touched the pocket where the transmitter sat. Hattori had taken the glasses earlier, maybe... Suddenly, as if conjured by her thoughts, a panting Osakan sprinted around the corner, wide eyes peering behind oversized glasses.


	27. Chapter 27

Oh no, only one real chapter left after this before the Omake!How will I live once this story is done? Haha!

Ohh, I also got a "silver key" in the writing competition I entered! So, YAY! I guess that means I was in the top 10-15% of my region.

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Time Line:

Sat: Kidnapping

Sun: Everyone searching, questions the men in jail, Mind games and hunger starts

Mon: DB go back to school, Question the man who tells them of first kitten, Takagi stabbed

Tues: Hattori arrives, Conan actually accepts food.

Wed: Hattori stops guy from stealing from police, The two meet Kinkalow/Vermouth

Thurs: Abyssinian dies, Satou worries, contacted by murderer

**Fri: Date Takagi is scheduled to die, Conan confesses, DB find them**

Sat: Date Takagi is supposed to be found dead

* * *

The company stood stock still. Haibara was hoping that she could give Hattori a sigh to play it off, pretend he didn't know them. She could tell from the look in his eyes that he knew that she had the transmitter, his eyes widened in realization as he, ever the detective, realized what this meant. He began to speak, his face holding the frantic, idiotic expression it always held when he was planning to lie, when he was stopped short by three innocent, high, first grade voices.

"Heiji-nisan!" The three child detective boys cried out, confusion in their eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Ayumi asked innocently. Haibara could have killed her. She was going to cur in with some asddition to the lie when she saw a tightening of the kidnapper's face. He knew that Hattori was a detective, he was famous after all, and all of the cases in Tokyo were with him and Conan. The man would know that Hattori was looking for Conan; any lies would only make them seem more suspicious. Maybe he could fight the man and- she cut her thoughts off as the man shifted and she saw the slight bulge of a well concealed weapon. That wouldn't work either.

She saw him begin to speak, still showing the guilty expression that heralded a falsehood. She shook her head slightly, hoping that the Osakan would get the message. Normally he may not have seen the slight, almost imperceptible, shake. However, at the moment his senses were hyperaware with the desire to find his friend, and he saw it right away.

He quickly changed his half-baked lie to the truth, or at least a half truth.

"I was just wandering around, looking for K- Conan-kun. I don't exactly know where to look, so mostly I was just walking around to get rid of some nervous energy." He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. "What about you guys? I thought you were investigating some haunted house."

Ah-" Ayumi began to answer but Haibara cut her off.

"We did. Turns out it wasn't haunted. They live here." She said, jabbing a finger at the two cats. Her eyes were as hard as steel. Hattori nodded in understanding, his heart swelling. Kudo was in there.

"Well, I'll be going on my way then, have fun and stay out of trouble." He began walking away, pulling out his cell phone discretely, only to be stopped as Tabby called out to him.

"No, why don't you join us? I was just taking the kids to a café to apologize for scaring them."

"Oh, I don't know. I kind of have to-"

"I insist." Tabby said, his voice a tiny bit harder. There was no way he was going to let this detective so close to Kitten. He may not be the smartest cat in the litter box, but he wasn't stupid.

Hattori shrugged, at a loss of what to do. If he refused anymore, the man may get suspicions, and that would only endanger them all, including Takagi and Kudo. "Sure," He said lamely. "Why not?"

Kinkalow was looking at Hattori interestedly. This teen didn't feel like the children, or even Takagi. He was more like Puupy, on a higher level than the rest. He smiled softly, confident that even if all else failed this dog- this wolf- would find Puppy.

Meanwhile, Tabby continued to lead the worried group to the café, his eyes constantly vigilant for any wrong move the group may make. Hattori kept his hand in his pocket, playing with his phone and waiting for the moment that he would get the chance to use it. He never did. Only a few moments later they arrived at the café, Tabby's eyes still locked onto them as the cat led them to a large booth in the back.

"You can order anything that you would like," Tabby said absently, flipping out his cell phone and sending a quick message to Lion, explaining the situation and asking what to do.

The children, as afraid as they were, were not ones to pass up free food or drinks as began babbling happily and glancing through the small menu. Haibara conversed quietly with Kinkalow, trying to get as much information as possible while being careful not to discuss anything that would make Tabby suspicions. Hattori simply held up the menu in attempt to hide his panicked face, wishing that Tabby hadn't chosen to sit next to him. There was no way he could text the police with him right next to him.

Suddenly inspiration struck the teen. " Oh no, I completely forgot! I was supposed to meet my friends somewhere! One second, I should go and call them and tell them I can't meet them." He stood, ready to go out and call the police when a familiar, extremely loud voice sounded behind him.

"Heiji! If you're here already why didn't you get us a table?"

"Kazuha! What are you doing here?"

"Aho! We're meeting here, remember?"

"That was here?"

"Of course it was!"

"Wait, Hattori-kun, why are you here if you forgot that we were coming here?" Ran asked, cutting into the argument before it could go on any longer. The tan boy seemed to deflate, his dark skin paling slightly.

"Oh yeah. Um, I was looking for Conan-kun and I ran into these guys." He jerked his head in the direction of the children, who were by now staring at the four teens interestedly. The detective boys quickly called out a greeting, but Tabby, Kinkalow, and Haibara only sat in a nervous silence. Haibara and Kinkalow shared a glance. This was a lot of people to protect, a lot of lies to cover.

The ex-cat turned to the ex-Black Organization member. "You guys know them?" He whispered cautiously. Ai nodded. The boy glanced at them once more. "Do coincidences like this happen a lot?"

"More than you would think." She sighed, rolling her eyes.

Tabby was glancing down at his still silent phone, hoping that Lion wouldn't tell him he had to get rid of the possible witnesses. The possible body count just kept rising, and he wasn't one of the better assassins.

The Cat forced a false smile onto his face. "Why don't you children join us," He called to the group of girls. "There is plenty of room."

The three girls, who of course knew nothing about the real events, squeezed into the large booth, ordering some cutesy deserts. However, the mood was far from happy or comfortable. Instead the group sat in a somber silence, Ran never taking a bite from her food.

Even Tabby could sense the tension at the table and he constantly checked the silent phone in his pocket, hoping that Lion would soon respond. Heiji kept his hands underneath the table, discretely typing on his phone as he attempted light conversation with Kazuha. The girl seemed to sense that something was wrong. Perhaps it was the way he was avoiding talking with his hands, perhaps it was how he tried not to start and argument, and perhaps it was simply the tightness of his eyes. Something was off, but by some instinct she knew better than to ask.

Hattori was finding the situation hard. He wasn't one used to secrecy and discrete hints and clues. That was Kudo. Heiji was bold and in your face, he wanted to question the man outright. Only the threat that it would put Kudo in danger kept him from leaping up and dragging the man straight to the police station. However, he had to do things differently this time. Finally he finished typing the message and sent passed the phone to Kazuha. The girl flinched slightly at the touch and looked down to read the message. _Make an excuse to leave and call the police. We found Conan. _Under that was an address. The girl stood, pocketing the phone and claiming that she had to go to the restroom. Like most teenage girls, Sonoko and Ran offered to accompany her. Kazuha was shaking as she left the table, luckily Tabby was paying no attention. Lion had finally replied.

_You are certain that they saw nothing?_

Tabby sent a message back, **Kinkalow said that they didn't. He said he was there the whole time. **

Lion took a while to reply. He sat in his office in the scratching post, having arrived back only moments after Tabby and the children had left. The man's gaze altered between the phone and his computer monitor, watching the security feed from the cell. He smiled with his grim humor as Conan tripped against the bed and rubbed against the officers wound. The man chuckled slightly.

He and Ocelot had just finished talking, and he'd finally had time to answer Tabby's text. Normally he wouldn't hesitate to trust his Cat, if Kinkalow said that the children hadn't seen anything, then they hadn't. However, he couldn't get the image of his head of Kinkalow after meeting Kitten for the first time. The child had had a look of awe and adoration. It bothered him, if Kitten could get into the child's head then… no. He had trained his cats too well. Kinkalow would not betray him. _If Kinkalow said that they saw nothing, do not worry about it._The man sent the text, but doubt still permeated his mind. He picked his gun up off of the floor and called Tiger, calling for him to meet him in the room in twenty minutes. It was time to get rid of an annoying officer.

Tabby sighed in relief. He closed his phone and looked at the children. The tan teen was staring nervously back to where his girlfriend had run off to go to the rest room, the light haired girl staring at him intently. Kinkalow was chatting with the freckled boy with the fat kid cutting in every once in a while. The boy was actually talking and smiling with the children and Tabby felt a pang of anger and disgust that the young cat was speaking so easily with normal children. Kinkalow was a Cat, he shouldn't be associating with the children, the mice. Especially not _these_ children.

Not the children who could be taken by Lion at any time in order to keep Kitten under control. These children may someday become Kitten's controls. They didn't need Kinkalow getting attached to them. He forced the thoughts out of his mind. After all, they were just children. Why not give Kinkalow his moment to be normal. It would be over soon enough. The man stood. "Well, it was… interesting, but I gotta get back."

Kinkalow looked up to the elder Cat then back to his newfound friends. Sure, they were a few years younger than him, but considering that he'd been around the much older cats for his entire life it was refreshing being around younger children. And Kitten did say to go to the dogs when the time was right, didn't he? "Can I stay with these guys? Papa (their code word for Persian) said I could do what I wanted today."

One of Tabby's eyebrows raised, surprised, but if Persian said that he could do whatever, then who was he to stop the boy? "Fine." He knelt down and whispered into the boy's ears. "Just don't get too connected. These are Kitten's friends, and you can see how good he is about being obedient."

Kinkalow nodded and Tabby looked back once more to the children before leaving, going straight to the house. As he was leaving the café he saw the three girls from earlier running down the street. He watched them in interest before walking calmly to the house he was staying at, only to stop dead as a cop car sped roaring past him. His heart beat loudly in his chest as he stood frozen to the spot. Both the girls and the car had been heading straight for… oh crap.

* * *

"So, what is the plan?"

"Sorry Takagi-keiji, if I told you then it wouldn't work as well."

"Last time you said something like that, you fell onto my wound."

Conan smiled apologetically and then frowned. "The plan should work, but I'll have to convince Lion to do something first. I don't think it will be hard, but if it doesn't work, or if the police don't come on time… it could be bad."

Takagi nodded. "So you really won't tell me?"

Conan shook his head and smiled slightly. "No, I've seen you attempt too many stakeouts to trust your life to your acting skills."

Takagi sputtered indigantly but stopped abruptly as the door opened, two imposing figures walking down the steps.

"They're earlier than I thought." Conan hissed as both of the prisoners pressed against the wall. As Tiger stepped into the light a memory flashed through Conan's mind. In his mind's eye he saw Abyssinian die right in front of him, except this time it was not the death that stood out in his mind, but something that happened afterwards. The child had to fight to keep the smile off of his face.

Lion and Tiger walked calmly down the steps. The second ranked man had been closer than expected, so they were ready to start a little early. Both men walked slowly down the steps, malicious grins on their faces as they anticipated what they were going to do. Lion held his trusty gun and something that resembled a fire poker, except that Takagi's badge was attached to the front of it. Tiger was holding a small box of glowing orange embers. Lion smirked as he Tiger set the box on the ground and he placed the badge into the dark coals.

"Well Kitten, have you decided yet?"

Conan looked to the ground, refusing to meet the criminal's eyes. Tiger smirked and leaned against the wall, knowing the kid would crack.

"Well?" Lion asked, his own smirk changing into a sneer. "Speak quickly child. If you take too long, then I will decide." Conan looked up to meet the man with a hard gaze, and Lion felt his breath catch as he saw the extremely intense eyes that for the first time were not covered by glass.

Conan spoke calmly and clearly, speaking with confidence that showed that he was choosing his decision, that Lion was not forcing him into it. "I choose to accept the deal that you have offered. However, once the time period is up, know that I will be no more your Kitten than I am now."

Lion grinned a feral grin, showing his teeth. "We'll see about that." He dropped the poker and stepped closer to the cell. Tiger meanwhile smiled broadly at the child's words. This Kitten was interesting. He may actually pose a challenge to crack. This could be fun.

Lion gestured him over and the leader crouched at the cages entrance. The man looked to Conan. "Come here." He commanded. Conan hesitated and looked nervously between the gun and Takagi. Lion growled at the hesitation and tiger picked up the poker. "Are you breaking the deal already? I said come here." Lion asked. A look of anger crossed Conan's face, but he did as he was told and came up to where he normally stood when speaking with Lion. However, the criminal wasn't happy with just that.

"Closer. Come up to the bars."

Conan obeyed, though by his expression it was clear that he wanted nothing less. Lion reached his hands through the links of the cage, Conan tense as his muscles called for him to run when he was unable to. Lion moved slowly, obviously relishing the fact that the child wouldn't dare move away. He grabbed the shoulders of the boy's shirt, lifting him from the ground as the boy glared at him.

Takagi felt bile rise in his throat at the scene. He hated how much Lion was enjoying this, but he knew that the safest thing for him was to stay out of their reach for as long as possible. Tiger stepped up from behind and undid the locks, Lion never losing his grip on Conan as he moved back to accommodate the opening door. Takagi pressed himself against the wall, but there was nowhere to go. Tiger was smirking as he advanced, holding up the small staff he'd hidden in his pocket. Takagi attempted to elude the man, but with a flash of movement and a burst of pain, Takagi found himself lying in a still daze as the man drug and bound him to the very same wall that had bound the killed Cat earlier. Before the officer could get his wits about him, it was too late. Lion dropped Conan to the floor and pressed his gun against Takagi's skull. Conan scrambled to the fence as the officer could only stuggle vainly as he saw his death approach. _Whatever you__r plan is Kudo-kun, please do it quickly._

"If you go through with this, then they will catch you." The false-child said suddenly. Tiger went to grab the poker again, but Lion held up one hand to stop him, deciding instead to humor his newest member.

"And why is that?"

"With us disappearing they'll look into the cases more, both the one we were investigating when we disappeared and when they find Takagi-keiji. They'll notice that they're both copies and they'll catch on. We have friends, both of us do, friends that won't give up until you are in jail. This will just give them a lead."

"Oh, they already know about us."

"You shou- wait… what?" Conan stopped, looking at the villain with wide eyes.

"Seems like your little friend here knew about us before now. His little notebook was filled with theories and ideas and now that he's gone everyone else saw it and decided to take it seriously. You should see the police station. Everyone is all in a tizzy because it is their last day to save him." He gave a barking laugh. "Too bad they're too late. Your poor girlfriend is so distraught, poor girl. Oh well, perhaps my Ocelot can console her later, after all it seems like she is involved in a lot of major cases. It would be nice to have an in like that."

Takagi growled and struggled against the chains. "She wouldn't fall for something like that."

Lion just laughed. "She will if she isn't guarding against it. After all, there is a major flaw in all large organization theories, in all serial killer plots. If there is one, and only one, discrepancy then the whole theory crumbles. If a serial killer has an alibi for just one of his many kills, he is no longer suspected. If an unknown organization goes against its M.O., well then people doubt that it exists."

He moved the gun from the officer's head to his chest, resting over the man's heart. "In this case a body found dumped in the park, no badge branded, no handcuffs, and shot through the heart with a gun not his own, well that doesn't sound like the officer murders, does it?"

**BANG!** With no more talking, no more threatening, and no more bragging, he pulled the trigger.

Takagi's eyes widened, his breath catching his throat and his gaze staring blankly ahead as the shot's echo bounced around the room. A huff of pained air left his mouth as a fire burned over his heart. Wait… hurt… pain? If it hurt then that meant… he was alive? The officer groaned and coughed as the pain tore through his heart, sagging in his chains in relief. His ribs hurt horribly, they were surely cracked, if not broken, but what did that matter? He was alive.

Tiger and Lion stared in shock at his breathing form, there wasn't even any blood. The only evidence that there was a shot at all was a hole in the man's shirt and the scent of smoke in the air. Lion slowly reached into the shaking officer's pocket and pulled out a pair of large glasses, the bullet embedded in one of the bulletproof lenses.

The man turned slowly to see a devilish grin on the face of the child in the cage, the boy's eyes intelligent and intense, for now there was no glasses glare to hide his gaze.

* * *

I really wanted to end right after the bang, but I figured I'd given you guys enough really bad cliff hangers.. so anyone who wants to complain about the cliff hanger I did leave you with, just think: it could be worse.

Also, I know Kinkalow is centered on Haibara a lot, and no he does not in any way have a crush on her or anything. I just thought they would be okay friends, after all they both deserted the criminal organizations they practically grew up with... yeah, just wanted to clear that up! Thanks for reading and please review! Next chapter will be out as soon as possible.

Oh, one more thing. I don't know if the bullet proof glass would work at such close range. I tried to do research but none of the articles I read mentioned the distance. I do know that to work, it had to be laminated, but I assume Agasa would use only the best.


	28. Chapter 28

Well Conan fans, this is it. My last real chapter.

If I do a sequel it will have to wait a really long time because it would probably include Kid, the B.O, the Cats, Kinkalow, and a ton of other stuff and my brain is kinda dead from writing this. I'm taking a break from DC until summer because of my schedule. I'll be writing some fanfiction, but mostly for other fandoms I don't have to think about so much... If there are any teen titans fans reading this, I probably will be spending some time on that fandom, and maybe danny phantom.

I am sort of planning a DC and Psych crossover, but that will take a lot of planning and won't be coming out for a while.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of you who reviewed, favorited, alerted, or even just read. Its been a fun ride, and this story is more popular and longer than I ever would have imagined when I started it off, thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy this final chappie!

* * *

A red car sped throughout Tokyo, going at least twenty miles over the speed limit and obeying absolutely no traffic laws, leaving dozens of near accidents in its path. One needn't worry about this reckless driver however, for they were in complete control and had little to worry about from the police. After all, the driver was Satou Miwako, and she was speeding to where her kidnapped love waited.

The woman sped through the streets, determination written all over her face. She never slowed, not even when she passed the curious sight of Hattori using an umbrella as a bokken and beating up a man while the detective boys and an older child she'd never seen before crowded around cheering the tan teen. She swerved around the cop car in front of her (the slowpoke was only going ten over, didn't he know what was at stake here) and stopped short in the driveway to see Ran standing in shock with tears running down her face. Satou barely made it out of the car when the teen rushed to the door, blasting it open with one kick.

Satou followed the girl. In the back of her mind she heard Ran and Kazuha yelling something about hearing a bullet shot and it might be too late, but she paid no mind. Takagi was in there, she just had to pray that she wasn't too late.

* * *

Lion scowled at the child, and the first bits of uncertainty started to bite at his heart. For the first time he wondered if Kitten was in charge, not him. He had done everything according to the child's plan. Aiming for the heart, leaving the officer's jacket on, he'd even shown the child the night before that there was only one bullet in the gun.

He pushed the fears aside and growled lowly, turning to his second in command who was looking at the child with a disgusting impressed expression. "Tiger, go get me another bullet. Two. I won't kill my Kitten but he will regret defying me."

The man turned and crouched at the child's cage as Tiger made his way up the stairs. The manic leader whispered lowly to the boy. "And regret it you will. You have so many friends that I could go after, so many ripe for the picking. And you seem to forget that you are at my mercy as well. Well then," He picked up the poker that had been sitting in the box of coals. "I suppose our deal is broken."

He picked up the poker just as Tiger reached the top of the stairs. The man sighed as he realized that he would be getting the bullets as Lion branded the officer. He always missed the interesting stuff. The man felt a stark frown as he began to open the door.

Down below, Lion was advancing upon the bound man against the wall. He unbuttoned the top of the man's shirt, revealing the pale patch of skin over his heart. Takagi struggled and pulled at the restraints holding his arms, but to no avail. He wasn't going anywhere. Lion held the fiery badge inches from the man's heart. Conan began yelling things no child should ever know.

Lion was just about to press the scalding metal to Takagi's bare chest, the officer watching with horrific fear as Lion came nearer and nearer to the skin. Finally there was no distance left, Lion thrust slightly and- "Hiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh hhh!"

The man jerked back, nearly dropping the poker with the badge in surprise as Tiger's form fell from the top of the stairs nearly on top of him. He looked up to see a furious teenage girl standing at the stairwell, her long hair flying and drying tear stains on her cheeks. Tiger groaned on the floor before losing consciousness, and Lion was shocked to see a perfect imprint of the girl's shoes on his face.

"Ran!" Kitten yelled, his eyes wide and voice hopeful.

"R-Ran-chan!" Takagi exclaimed at the same time, his body going limp as relief filled him.

"Conan-kun!" Ran yelled, her voice so relieved that it cracked as though in tears. She turned her gaze from the child to the kidnapper, the man still holding his heated weapon. Fury encompassed the girl's face and she crouched in a ready position, as if prepared to jump the entire length of the stairs and lay him out with one blow. Out of the corner of his eye her say Kitten moving as far away from him as he could get in the small cell, as if Lion was condemned and the child didn't want to be anywhere near him.

Lion held up the only weapon he had, the poker. But he did not hold it up to her, but to the officer in chains. "I wouldn't move if I were you, girly. Not unless you want this guy here to feel hot metal molded into his skin."

Ran stopped, confusion and worry in her eyes. Lion laughed and stepped back until he was spread across the small hall, strategically covering any sight of Kitten while holding the arm with the poker out near the officer still. He smirked and prepared to speak when suddenly there was the sharp and familiar bang of a gun, and a horrible pain in his outstretched arm. Lion cursed slightly even as the pain spread; he had given the shooter a clear target. He grabbed the appendage, dropping the poker and falling to the floor. The three inhabitants of the room looked to the top of the stairs in shock to see Satou standing beside Ran, smoking pistol in hand.

"Satou-san!" Takagi yelled, his eyes alight with relief and surprise. The two women wasted no time in reaching the bottom of the stairs, their first thought to restrain the horrible men who had kept the two in harm's way

Satou and Ran rushed down the stairs, the officer saying nothing when Ran gave the man a powerful kick to incapacitate him as she ran past. Lion groaned and bent over, leaving the two women to focus on the captives. Satou found the keys still gripped in Tiger's unconscious hand. She used them with shaking hands to free Takagi before giving Ran the key ring.

Takagi nearly collapsed as the bindings were removed, and Satou had to quickly grab him as he fell. The male officer staggered to his feet and gave his girlfriend a grateful look before fully encompassing her in a hug. She stood frozen for a moment, but felt water in her eyes as she joined the hug full force. She pushed the moisture away. She didn't want him to know how worried she'd been over the last week, how unsure. She didn't want him to know how hopeless she had begun to see things. Besides, it didn't matter anymore. He was safe. Her Warato was alive!

Ran was working with shaking hands to unlock Conan's cage, the child waiting impatiently to get out. Finally the latch fell away, and Ran immediately scooped the child into her arms, crying into the child's shoulder and breathing his name. "Conan-kun, Conan-kun, Conan-kun."

By now, other people began crowding around the doorframe. Other officers had finally arrived and Kazuha and Sonoko appeared beside Ran, tears streaming down the girls' faces when they saw that everyone was okay. Even Hattori had made it to the house, leaving an incapacitated Tabby under the detective boy's care until the officers he'd told arrived. Now Hattori waited at the top of the stairs, watching the cramped quarters of the scene below.

Suddenly the tan detective took in a short breath as surprise as Lion slowly stood to his feet, silently pulling a small staff from under Tiger and advancing on the unsuspecting girls. Lion wasn't one to go down that easily. Satou was still focused on Takagi, and the girls had no clue that he was behind them.

"Look out!" The teen shouted, jumping down the stairs. Conan's eyes snapped open and he squirmed out of Ran's arm immediately, kicking at the box of coals on the ground as he landed. Even without his shoes the child had powerful legs, and the box went sailing into the man's stomach, stunning him for long enough that Ran, Hattori, and Kazuha were able to simultaneously launch attacks in their chosen martial arts, leaving the man out of commission for good.

Satou pulled herself from Takagi for long enough to hand cuff the man, calling to the officers at the top of the stair to come down and take care of the groaning man. Conan knelt down to the criminal while the others were focused on the cops at the top of the stairs. "Its like I told Persian. The dogs will always beat the cats. Be ready, because this time you won't land on your feet."

Lion growled but said nothing as his arms were forced up, pulling the man to his feet. The cop paid special attention to his arm wound, but was certainly not gentle. Two others grabbed the unconscious form of Tiger and carried him up the steps. Conan looked up as the criminals were escorted up the steps. He turned to Ran with his little kid mask firmly in place for the first time in days. He looked up with a fearful and pitiful gaze. "Ran-neecahan, can we leave? I don't like this place." He whined and Ran turned to him with a shocked and appalled look.

"Of course! I'm so sorry Conan-kun, I didn't even think of how traumatic it would be for you in this room."

Conan nodded pitifully as Ran picked him and carried him up the steps, looking like she never wanted to let him go. Takagi sputtered a little behind him but Conan paid no mind. He winced slightly as he thought of how he had revealed his secret, but the past was the past. He would have to deal with it later. The group slowly made their way up the steps, leaving the room empty and open for the forensics to come in.

The group made it to the top of the stairs to a barrage of excited cheers. There were so many people in the open space that the room was extremely cramped, even more so than the small cell-like area downstairs. At the top of the steps Takagi began to walk straight to the door, heading out of the house. Satou followed with confusion. "Where are you going?"

Takagi grunted. "I haven't been outside in a week. Plus after this I may have developed a slight claustrophobia."

Conan watched the officer for a moment before he shifted around to meet Ran's eye. "I wanna go outside too."

When the group finally made it out they all breathed deeply in the warm air. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and there was a light breeze, almost as if the day was celebrating the rescue. Both of the former captives took deep breaths, glad to be rid of the stale air of their cell.

"Conan-kun!" Childish voices yelled as the detective boys appeared, Kinkalow at their heels. Ran set Conan down and the children cheered as they surrounded him, excited that they had played a part in rescuing them. Chiba and Shiratori walked over to the two officers, seeming very relieved. Chiba smiled as he neared his friend.

"How are you feeling? Megurue-keibu called for some medics to come to check you two out and make sure you're okay."

"We should be fine. Other than being pretty hungry we just have some shallow wound. Ku- Ku- *Cough Cough cough* I uh, mean Conan-kun was kinda of banged up but it looks like most of the bruises are gone." Hattori's eyebrows rose. He recognized that stammer, he himself made it almost every time he was talking to or about Kudo. The Osakan said nothing, but looked to the man with intrest.

Ran looked down to the child. "That reminds me, where are your glasses?"

Conan looked up with his bare blue orbs, suddenly realizing how much he must look like a young Kudo Shinichi. He turned his face away from the teen quickly, latching his eyes on the ground below. "They, um, were ruined by Lion."

"Oh, yeah." Hattori pulled a pair of the lenses out of his pocket. "I forgot I had these."

Conan gratefully replaced the spectacles and turned back to the girls, the last piece of his mask back in place. "Thank's heiji-nisan!"

Megure chose that moment to approach the group. "Good to see that you're in one piece Takagi-kun. The precinct has been strange without you."

Takagi nodded once, a weary smile on his face. "Thank you sir."

The inspector nodded before turning to Chiba, Shiratori, and Satou, holding up a small laptop. "Seems we caught the head haunch here. His computer has detailed information about several people classified as part of his group. Lucky for us he was watching the security feed for the cell before he went down to… complete the deed, and he never locked up his computer. I'm just worried that with some good lawyers some of the members will get away, after all there is no definite ID or any real proof that this belongs to the leader of a major criminal group."

Kinkalow stepped up shyly. "I could probably identify some of them. I could give you a lot of information too."

The inspector looked at the boy as if seeing him for the first time. "And who are you?"

"I'm… Kinkalow. I had a name before, but I forgot it. I was one of the cats, but I don't want to be anymore." The child glanced back at Conan, who nodded encouragingly. Haibara gave the officers a serious glance.

"He helped Edogawa-kun to escape by covering from us when one of the kidnappers came home unexpectedly."

Megure faltered slightly at the girls look. "Well then, uh… welcome to the good side then, kid. Maybe you could come with me and give me some of that information now."

The eleven year old smiled shyly and took a hesitant step forward. He wasn't used to officers, he didn't think he'd ever spoken to one other than Ocelot, and he didn't count. After spending his entire life as a Cat, he wasn't yet comfortable with dogs. Conan's keen eye noticed the hesitation.

"Maybe you should take the detective boy's with you. After all, they pretty much know how to give perfect police reports by now." The children clamored in agreement, and Kinkalow tossed Conan a grateful glance before following the portly inspector and detective children. Suddenly Satou's voice stopped him.

"Wait, are you Hayao?"

The child looked up with interest and nodded, "That was the name Persian made me use when we were getting information. He was my mentor. How did you hear it?"

"Someone we interrogated whose crime had been copied told me, the man Harao-san."

Kinkalow's eyes brightened. "That was my first time doing an assignment by myself. I remember him, he was really nice and had a cute little kid with him."

Satou nodded slowly, an idea forming. Maybe Harao wouldn't mind taking in another child. The boy took that as a dismissal, and the group of children followed the inspector. Eventually Mouri and Eri showed up, and Ran rushed to their side to tell them the good news, Sonoko trailing after. Eventually the group dwindled until only Hattori and Haibara remained with the two ex-captives. Hattori rose an eyebrow at the officer.

"So, you know too."

Takagi jumped slightly and rubbed the back of his head embarrassedly. "Ah, was I that obvious?"

"Yes." Haibara intoned. "But no more than Hattori-kun usually is, and no one has figured it out from him yet… amazingly."

"Oi!"

Conan rolled his eyes. "I should have waited before telling you. Just a few more minutes and I wouldn't have had to worry about it. Ah well, I suppose it will be nice to have someone on my side in the investigation. As long as you think you can keep from slipping up."

"I will! Don't worry."

Conan sighed, as though he would worry all the same. Haibara looked at him with an evil smirk. "Kudo Shinichi is in very hot water by the way. Ran-san has left a total of 103 messages in your phone with 174 missed calls. None of which have you replied to."

Conan groaned and sunk his head into his hands. He was so dead. Hattori smirked and leaned up against a tree trunk. "So, Kudo, why did the "Cats" take you anyway? Doesn't seem to fit with their MO."

The mini-detective rolled his eyes. "They wanted to make me a Kitten."

The group froze. Haibara's eyes were wide with horror at the thought of Conan turning into a heartess criminal, and Hattori simply becoming dull in shock, suddenly- "BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Hattori burst out laughing doubling over and clutching his stomach as he fell to the ground. Haibara glared at the teen for making a joke of such a serious and horrible potential fate. The teen attempted to speak between laughs. "Sorry, just thinking 'bout what kinda idiot it would take to think they could make Kudo go to the dark side. That guys more stubborn than a mule." He lost control and let laughter overwhelm him. A small smile quirked at Ai's lips and even Takagi smiled slightly, the idea seeming ludicrous now that they were safe. Hattori continued to bust a gut. "And what kinda name is kitten? Oh no, run! It's too fluffy!"

Conan smirked at his friend. "It gets worse, Kinkalow calls me Puppy because of an unfortunate analogy."

Hattori only laughed even harder. "It's settled, next kid heist you're telling him this and when he's incapacitated by laughter we'll cuff him!"

Conan chuckled himself, picturing the thief's reaction to the news. It would probably be very similar to Hattori's. "You know, that might work." He joined Hattori in light laughter as Haibara spoke to Takagi, filling him in on some of the information Conan had neglected to mention earlier. Suddenly Conan saw a flash of black out of the corner of his eye. He snuck away from the group as fear spread through his stomach. He slid around the house to where he'd seen the dark color, stopping dead when he saw Vermouth leaning against the wall, looking like she was waiting for him as she played with her phone.

"Vermouth," Conan spat, fury written across his face. She looked up to him with a smirk, but never stopped messing with her cell. "What are you doing here?"

"Just making sure that there isn't any incriminating information on Lion's computer. About us of course, they'll likely find every one of the cats. And… delete. It will be nice to get rid of such a pesky group, they had no originality. Congratulations on escaping by the way, Silver Bullet-kun."

"No thanks to you, if it were up to you I would still be down there and Takagi-keij iwould be dead."

"Really now. You know, you got really lucky."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, just think about how fortunate it was that one of your classmates heard the legend about this "haunted house" just in time for you little friends to investigate and find you. You might want to thank that mysterious foreighn lady who told that little girl the scary story."

"What!" Conan glanced back at where the detective boys stood with the professor. "You mean you-" When he looked back she was gone with no sign that she had ever been there. He would have to talk to Haibara about that later.

Conan shook his head and looked back. The medics had arrived and Satou was leading Takagi to the small ambulance. As much as he was reluctant to say anything, it really would be nice to have someone who could give him information in cases, and maybe tell him when there was a case possibly connected to Them. If it had to be one of them, he supposed Takagi was one of the better options; he would never leak his secret. Not intentionally anyways.

Kinkalow was well on his way to shedding his cat pelt, and was now talking to Megure with no problem, even as other officers crowded him. Conan saw as the child pointed to one of the rookie officers, and watched with muted surprise as the man was cuffed and led to a car, yelling curses at the young boy. Kinkalow didn't even seem guilty.

"Conan-kun, Conan-kun!" Ran's terrified voice sounded, and the child realized with a wry grimace that she would be overprotective for a while.

"I'm right here, Ran-neechan!" He stepped out from behind the house to see her extremely relieved face.

"Oh thank goodness. Come on, the medics are here and I have to show you the good luck charm Kazuha-chan made you. I really hope it works, you could really use it.

"Hai, Ran-neechan." The little boy chirruped. Maybe someday he could tell her as he did Takagi-keiji. Maybe one day he would tell her everything and wouldn't have to worry about the Black Organization endangering her life. Maybe someday, but as he was picked up and placed on the back of the car for inspection he knew that today was not that day.

* * *

I am doing an "omake" of sorts to be out in a few weeks, but it is more of a collection of alternet endings. For example did you wonder what would happen if... The Detective Boys never found him and Takagi ended up dying? If Lion got away? If kinkalow wanted to stay a cat and didn't help the detective boys out? Read the Omake for this and more!


	29. Omakes

Okay, the Omake is here and this story is finally over!

Thank you to everyone who has stayed with me through this crazy ride. Its been great!

Also, I am going on a missions trip to Jamaica with my school and will appreciate any prayers!

* * *

Lion seethed from his position in the jail cell, his eyes burning with fury. That little brat Kitten had gotten him into this mess. The punk was going to pay. He already had plans to escape. Night had fallen not long ago, and Lion awaited the signal. He kept his gaze peeled, a smirk rising up his lips when he saw two glowing lights in the darkness, as green and steady as a cats gaze at night. The man rose to his feet, making his way to the grate door as alarms were heard. It was time. The free cats were coming for the king of the jungle. This zoo could never hold him long.

Within moments the man walked free, his head held high and a superior smirk on his face. Take that kitten and your stupid mutts; take that Kinkalow, who sided with the mice. He wouldn't let the empire he worked so long to create be destroyed by two children and their dopey officer. He would enact his revenge, but first things first. He had a kingdom to rebuild.

The man slunk through the twisting alleyways of Tokyo, his remaining wild cats following behind him. Lion led them to the one location, the one place that the cats owned that wasn't on any record or map. A place only Lion knew about and only he entered. The home where he remained to oversee the full of his kingdom. A comfortable, out of the way house he had dubbed Pride rock. (Honestly, Lion was more proud of his analogies than he would ever let anyone know)

When they were safe inside their villainous refuge, the King of the Jungle looked around with disgust and disappointment. In all, only seven of eight of his dozens of had made it out. Tiger hadn't been one of them. He sighed slightly as he watched them get comfortable, each one tired and curing the cops, the lawyers, the court, and Kitten as they emptied the liquor cabinet. Lion sneered and cursed Kitten as well, vowing his ultimate revenge. He would make that brat pay. Him and his closest friends too! And that officer and his girlfriend. They would all pay, every last one of them. Not yet though. First he needed to regroup. He needed more hideouts, more funds, and more members before he could even think of doing anything.

He lest the complaining and lazing cats to disappear into his room and office. A bulging file lay in a safe under his bed. The information in this file wasn't on any computer, those could be hacked, and it wasn't known by anyone, not even Tiger. It was a file of prospective members. People, usually young, with enough ability or hatred to merit a position as a Cat. He opened the first page, cursing as he saw the triumphant face of Kitten smirking up at him. The man carefully took down the pages with that child's information, vowing to copy all of the pictures and use them as targets at the shooting range.

He idly flipped through the pages, trying to figure out which not-yet-kitten would be the best choice. He needed to know what he needed most. A thief! Yes, he needed someone he could train as a perfect thief, especially now that Abyssinian was gone. A slow smile slid up his lips and he chuckled lowly.

Yes, this boy was perfect. His father was long dead and gone; his mother was always away on vacation. It was breeding grounds for anger, hatred, and loneliness. He was a teenager, a little older than Lion would like but not too bad. And best of all: he was a magician. The kid would already be a master at deception and at sleight of hand. His hands were already lightning fast and he knew how to make things disappear and pick locks.

Lion smirked and looked at the boy's name one final time before replacing it in his mind as Kitten. **Kuroba Kaito**

* * *

And we can all guess how well that'll work out for him.

Okay, that is too much of an incredible idea to leave, I had to do something with it. This is a small continuation.

* * *

Lion growled as he looked at his newest Kitten. So far he had resorted to cuffing him against the wall, Cuffing him at the ankles, knees, and calf, tying him up in a strait jacket, completely stripping him to make sure he didn't have any tricks, burning the clothes. (Some of his Cats were permanently died pink because of this), coving his mouth with both duct tape and cloth, locking him in a dog crate with a padlock inside a room with three electronic locks and a fingerprint recognizer. There, if that didn't hold him, Lion didn't know what would.

Suddenly there was a puff of smoke and Lion heard a low roar behind him. The man whirled to see his newest Kitten, fully dressed in his old clothes, leaning against the doorframe and playing with a stuffed lion. He squeezed the toy and it let out another low roar.

The teen smirked at the befuddled man even as the cops neared. "C'mon crazy-cat-lady-san. If you couldn't hold tantei-kun, what makes you think you could hold me?"

* * *

AE 2, what if the kids never came? Warning: Character (Takagi) Death

* * *

The boy closed the glasses and handed them to the detective. "I'm still sure that I'll find a way out of this. But just in case I want you to take these. Put them in your pocket so that when they find you they'll see these. Hattori or someone else will take them as a sign that I was with you. Hopefully they'll realize that its a sign that I'm still alive. Listen to me though. I will find us a way out of this. I'm Shinichi Kudo, and I will not let a friend die in front of me."

Takagi placed the spectacles in the chest pocket of his coat. The two said nothing for a great deal of time, finally Takagi just sighed and relaxed, closing his eyes as his mind wandered to his love for what may be the last time. He could picture her face, bright and smiling as they had fun on a date, and he could see her cool and serious as she faced a criminal. He opened his eye slightly. "You know, I just keep on expecting her to come crashing through the door, or for some other miracle to happen."

Kudo looked up sharply, poised to argue before he simply nodded. Suddenly the door at the top of the steps burst open, and the two looked up in hope only for their faces to fall when it was only Lion, Tiger, and Tabby standing at the top of the steps.

The trio walked calmly down the steps, malicious grins on their faces as they anticipated what they were going to do. Only Tabby looked nervous, his eyes darting between his two superiors as he carried a long fire poker with Takagi's police badge attached to the end and a small box of red hot coals. Lion held his trusty gun, his eyes alight with glee. Tiger held his preferred weapon as well, a small dark staff. Lion smirked as Tabby set the box on the ground and placed the badge into the dark coals.

"Well Kitten, have you decided yet?"

Conan looked to the ground, refusing to meet the criminal's eyes. Tiger smirked and leaned against the wall, knowing the kid would crack.

"Well?" Lion asked, his own smirk changing into a sneer. "Speak quickly child. If you take too long, then I will decide." Conan looked up to meet the man with a hard gaze, and Lion felt his breath catch as he saw the extremely intense eyes that for the first time were not covered by glass.

Conan spoke calmly and clearly, speaking with confidence that showed that he was choosing his decision, that Lion was not forcing him into it. "I choose to accept the deal that you have offered. However, once the time period is up, know that I will be no more your Kitten than I am now."

Lion grinned a feral grin, showing his teeth. "We'll see about that." He stepped closer to the cell. Tiger meanwhile smiled broadly at the child's words. This Kitten was interesting. He may actually pose a challenge to crack. This could be fun.

Lion gestured Tiger over and the leader crouched at the cages entrance. The man looked to Conan. "Come here." He commanded. Conan hesitated and looked nervously between the gun and Takagi. Lion growled at the hesitation and Tiger fingered the poker. "Are you breaking the deal already? I said come here." Lion asked. A look of anger crossed Conan's face, but he did as he was told and came up to where he normally stood when speaking with Lion. However, the criminal wasn't happy with just that.

"Closer. Come up to the bars."

Conan obeyed, though by his expression it was clear that he wanted nothing less. Lion reached his hands through the links of the cage, Conan tense as his muscles called for him to run when he was unable to. Lion moved slowly, obviously relishing the fact that the child wouldn't dare move away. He grabbed the shoulders of the boy's shirt, lifting him from the ground as the boy glared at him.

Takagi felt bile rise in his throat at the scene. He hated how much Lion was enjoying this, but he knew that the safest thing for him was to stay out of their reach for as long as possible. Lion gestured for Tabby to come and the lower ranked man gripped the boy while Lion stood and began to carfully prep his gun.

Takagi and Conan felt even more fury ignite at the movement, knowing full well that Lion could have made Tabby grab Conan from the beginning, but the leader wanted to show his superiority, and they could do nothing about it. Tiger stepped up from behind and undid the locks, Tabby never losing his grip on Conan as he moved back to accommodate the opening door. Takagi pressed himself against the wall, but there was nowhere to go. Tiger was smirking as he advanced, holding up his small wooden weapon. Takagi attempted to elude the man, but with a flash of movement and a burst of pain, Takagi found himself lying in a still daze as the man drug and bound him to the very same wall that had bound the killed Cat earlier. Before the officer could get his wits about him, it was too late. Lion had pressed his gun against Takagi's skull. With a nod from Lion Tabby dropped the child and Conan scrambled to the fence as the officer could only struggle vainly as he saw his death approach. _Whatever your plan is Kudo-kun, please do it quickly._

"If you go through with this, then they will catch you." The false-child said suddenly. Tiger went towards the poker again, but Lion held up one hand to stop him, deciding instead to humor his newest member.

"And why is that?"

"With us disappearing they'll look into the cases more, both the one we were investigating when we disappeared and when they find Takagi-keiji. They'll notice that they're both copies and they'll catch on. We have friends, both of us do, friends that won't give up until you are in jail. This will just give them a lead."

"Oh, they already know about us."

"You shou- wait… what?" Conan stopped, looking at the villain with wide eyes.

"Seems like your little friend here knew about us before now. His little notebook was filled with theories and ideas and now that he's gone everyone else saw it and decided to take it seriously. You should see the police station. Everyone is all in a tizzy because it is their last day to save him." He gave a barking laugh. "Too bad they're too late. Your poor girlfriend is so distraught, poor girl. Oh well, perhaps my Ocelot can console her later, after all it seems like she is involved in a lot of major cases. It would be nice to have an in like that."

Takagi growled and struggled against the chains. "She wouldn't fall for something like that."

Lion just laughed. "She will if she isn't guarding against it. After all, there is a major flaw in all large organization theories, in all serial killer plots. If there is one, and only one, discrepancy then the whole theory crumbles. If a serial killer has an alibi for just one of his many kills, he is no longer suspected. If an unknown organization goes against its M.O., well then people doubt that it exists."

He moved the gun from the officer's head to his chest, resting over the man's heart. "In this case a body found dumped in the park, no badge branded, no handcuffs, and shot through the heart with a gun not his own, well that doesn't sound like the officer murders, does it?"

BANG! With no more talking, no more threatening, and no more bragging, he pulled the trigger.

Takagi's eyes widened, his breath catching his throat and his gaze staring blankly ahead as the shot's echo bounced around the room. A huff of pained air left his mouth as a fire burned over his heart. Wait… hurt… pain? If it hurt then that meant… he was alive? The officer groaned and coughed as the pain tore through his heart, sagging in his chains in relief. His ribs hurt horribly, they were surely cracked, if not broken, but what did that matter? He was alive.

The Cats stared in shock at his breathing form, there wasn't even any blood. The only evidence that there was a shot at all was a hole in the man's shirt and the scent of smoke in the air. Lion slowly reached into the shaking officer's pocket and pulled out a pair of large glasses, the bullet embedded in one of the bulletproof lenses.

Lion whirled on the child, absolute anger in his eyes. "And for that little Brat, you can consider our little deal null and void." He turned to Tabby. "Get the officer's gun. It's time I did this as I should have in the first place."

He held out his hand for the poker, and Tiger placed the thin metal into his hand, a wicked grin on his face. Finally, he was worried about not getting to see anything. This could be interesting. A pity that Tabby would miss it, oh well. Better him than Tiger.

Takagi struggled vainly and profusely as the hot metal neared his skin. He whimpered slightly as it got closer and closer, finally crying out fully as the scalding metal finally met with his cool, pale skin. He screamed and writhed in agony, Conan crying out as he clanged against the chain link of the small cage.

"No! Stop! No! Takagi-keiji!" The child cried out in absolute panic, his eyed wide and horrified as he watched one of his friends and one of his secret's protectors be tortured and prepped for killing in front of his very eyes. And he could do absolutely nothing about it.

Finally Lion dropped the poker, once again laying its tip in the coals. Takagi crumbled, his body sagging and held up only by his restraints as his breath came out in large, pained huffs. The officer glared half-heartedly at the man even as he grimaced in pain.

Conan dropped his arms as he breathed deeply, his eyes locked on the officer. His glasses-lacking gaze was filled with righteous anger, frustration, and guilt as he looked to his tortured friend. A moment of suspended silence filled the room as Takagi panted in pain and Conan still, his gaze nearly defeated. Lion smirked and rolled his shoulders back, looking for all of the world like a man who had done a job he loved and done it well. Tiger stood silently, a humongous grin on his face as his depraved mind took in the scene of the torture.

Suddenly the door burst open, Tabby standing in the doorway holding Takagi's gun in a gloved hand. It was as if time started again. Takagi began to grunt and struggle in vain against the bindings, the metal digging into his wrists. Lion's smirk only grew as he gripped the pistol's handle and Takagi's heart grew cold as he stared down the familiar barrel.

Conan screamed and banged against the mesh door, shouting words no child should ever know. Lion held up the gun to Takagi's forehead, smiling slightly as he glanced down at the struggling child. He said nothing more as he slowly pulled the trigger, relishing every look of fear on horror on both of his victim's faces.

**BANG**

Takagi's form fell lifeless as his blood splattered the wall, his eyes blank and his face still twisted in a horrified scream. He was held up by the cruel metal that kept him tight against the wall. His body lay suspended and his head fell.

Conan yelled in horror, crying out the officer's name as he rattled the bars more and more, but the man didn't respond. He never would again. Conan had failed. Kudo had failed. Takagi was dead, and his chances for escape were shrinking. He screamed at Lion, calling him worse names than Nakamouri would dare to ever call Kid, but the Cats simply smirked down at him, making him feel smaller than he ever had before.

Takagi's blood pooled and dripped down into the cage, further staining the sole of Conan's sock with crimson blood. Lion crouched down to meet Conan's defiant gaze. The child spoke first, spitting in the criminal's face. "This was a mistake. I will never be your Kitten, no matter what. I swear that on my friend's body."

"Well then I promise you he will soon be spinning in his grave." Lion smirked and stood, signaling for the Cats to follow him as he left, leaving the officer's body in its suspended state. The man turned around at the top of the steps. "Now Kitten, I know that you know very well what the… consequences of refusing this deal are. If you don't want this to happen to another of your little friends, I suggest you settle down and accept your fate." He closed the door soundly.

Shinichi looked to the corpse with dead, depressed eyes. He sighed out a shaking breath. "I'm sorry, Takagi-keiji." He wandered to the bed and folded his legs up, burying his small head in his legs. He wouldn't be Kitten, never. He would never be Kitten, he couldn't turn into that. He looked up and was met with Takagi's sightless eyes and it was suddenly as though it were Ran's large blue orbs staring back at him. Conan gulped slightly and hugged his legs, burrowing his head into the safety of his arms were he wouldn't have to look at the dead man.

For hours he remained in place, his mind dull and sluggish as he ran through a few ideas about how to escape, what he should do now, how to keep from being Kitten. At each thought he saw an image of his Ran, lying dead. Finally the door opened again, but Conan didn't move as a Cat, most likely Tabby, moved the body of his friend. His eyes burnedand he internally snarled, fighting hard to keep his anger from boiling. He wouldn't let his emotions get the better of him. He wouldn't give the Cats a hand, wouldn't show any weakness. He would NOT become Kitten. He owed that to Takagi…

Lion came down the steps soon after the body was taken away, and the scent of food flooded Conan's nostrils. The boy simply buried closer in himself. He felt pure anger and hatred rise up in him at the Cat's approach, emotions that the man would surely use to his advantage. There was a creak of metal and Conan peeked through his arms to see the man leaning against the door. Lion was smirking all-knowingly.

"Well boy, how does it fell knowing that you could do nothing as a friend was murdered in front of your eyes?"

The small-detective unfurled himself but said nothing as he glared at the man. Lion continued to speak, that infernal grin upon his face. "Hungry?"

Conan glared even as his stomach betrayed him by growling.

"Come and get the food. Special treat for today, you don't even have to beg."

The child didn't move. Lion's smirk fell, ten reappeared and intensified. "Oh dear. I was hoping that you may have realized the stupidity of your little rebellion. You wouldn't want to bring your friends to harm because something as foolish as some stubbornness and dinner now would you?"

The tiny-tantei's gaze burned as he glared, but Lion's smirk didn't waver.

"It would be easy pickings tonight after all, they're all crowding around together and mourning over your silly little friend."

Conan stood quickly. He wanted to shout, curse, attempt to attack Lion, but that was what the man wanted. He forced himself to calm down and went up to the gate, accepting the food without a word. Lion grinned none the less, watching intently as Conan shoveled the food into his starved body. As stubborn as he may be he was still hungry. He didn't realize until too late that something was wrong. As he finished the last of his meal he paused. His mind was fuzzy and slow and he felt exhaustion stalling his limbs. He looked at the empty plate with horror as he felt his eye lids weigh down. Lion must have put something in.

The boy's body fell to the ground and he looked up blearily as Lion came into the cage, gingerly picking him up and carrying up the steps. The child attempted to struggle, but his body refused to move. As Lion opned the door Tabby slip past him, cleaning supplies and a trash bag in his hands. Lion took him out to the garage, placing him in a large plastic dog carrier and laying a blanket over him until only a tuff of black hair remained showing. There was a low rumble as the car started and fear ignited in Conan's heart when he realized he would soon be lost, alone, and at the mercy of Lion, perhaps forever. That terrifying thought was his last one as his eyes closed completely and he became lost to the world.

* * *

Satou bit her lip as she watch the second hand of her watch slowly make circles around itself. Tears threatened at the back of her eyes but she refused to let them fall. She and many other officers stood hidden around the roof of the police office. This was the final day of the officer muder's deadline. Takagi was likely already dead, and they were just waiting to catch the guy as he finished the last step and left the body at the precinct's roof. The woman shook her head and got the image of her love, dead and limp, out of her mind's eye. Even if it was too late to… to save him, she vowed to catch his murderer. She had to, it was all she had left.

Suddenly there was a strangled yelp and one of the rookies emerged from a dark alley below. The thought crossed the woman's mind, 'I wonder why he was down there', however it was quickly pushed aside when she saw how pale and frightened the young officer's face looked.

"I- I-I-" He stammered. "T-Takagi-san- I-he-"

Satou was down in an instant, making it from the roof to the ground nearly before humanly possible. As she stepped into the alley her heart stopped and she could no longer contain the tears that threatened to flow. They fell freely down Satou's face as she looked into the lifeless eyes of her dead love. In her mind's eye she saw her father's funeral, an explosion on the Ferris wheel, and she knew that she could never love again.

In the background she could hear Ran sobbing as her friends tried to comfort her, tears flowing down there faces as well. Hattori stood against a wall, cursing as he beat the brick until his hand came away raw and bloody. Mouri stood back in the corner with his wife, their faces stuck in horror-filled positions. Chiba and Shiratori were beside Satou, and they cried as well as they stared into the face of their dead friend. Megurue's fac was folded to the floor, his hat casting shadows across his face, hiding it from view completely.

As Satou allowed the tears to flow freely she knew that those around her were not only grieving for Takagi, the loveable, devoted and kind officer they all knew so well. They were also grieving for Conan as well. The child, the brilliant, promising and unimaginably clever boy who could have been the next Holmes, his life most probably snuffed out to fulfill some sick organization's M.O. It was sickening, but it was the truth. And no one would see either of these two incredible people ever again.

* * *

Months later Conan lay curled up in a small cell similar to the one he and Takagi had been kept in, struggling to reign in his emotions. He was a favorite of Lion, all of his training was overseen by the big boss himself. It was a "privilege". He hated it. What he hated more was how beneficial some of the training had actually been. In the past few months of horrible intense training he was now at a higher ranked belt in Karate than Ran, and in a few weeks would be able to contest Hattori in Kendo. He could shoot a gun as good as any sharpshooter or sniper, throw knives, pick lock in a few seconds and hack into moderately complex firewalls. However there was one thing he refused to do, refused to learn. He would not use these skills to help Lion. He would not become Kitten.

He would never become what the man wanted him to be. He refused. However, that isn't to say that there weren't times that his resolve would begin to crumble. There were times that only the memory of Takagi, Hattori, Agasa, Ai, his parents… Ran, kept him from succumbing to the desire to let it all end and give in. He would think of their belief in him, the disappointment they would feel if he gave in, and the crumbling walls of his resolve would reform and strengthen. He would not go down. He would fight until he came out on top.

Lion was slowly growing to hate him. Conan obeyed just enough to protect his friends. He learned every lesson and learned it well. He was respectful, hardworking, and intelligent. But he would not be broken. New scars littered his body, and his body constantly ached from beatings, broken bones and sprains as Lion attempted to break his will and spirit. The child refused to go down, even when the imagined screams of his closest friends littered his mind. He flinched as terrified yells sounde in the room, fighting to stop from reflexively covering his ears with his hands. It was a new tactic of Lion's to play recordings of his friends screaming. At least, he prayed that they were just recordings.

After a while the recordings stopped, and Conan leaned back against the wall, whimpering slightly. Lion may not have broken him, but he had certainly changed him. The boy was a shell of Conan, and far from the Shinichi he once was. All that remained of the detective was an ironclad will and stubbornness and a desire for justice and truth. Nearly all else had been stripped away.

The boy looked up as the door opened, expecting to see one of the lower cats, perhaps the young Kinkalow, bring him his meal. His eyebrows rose in shock when Vermouth entered the room, her usual smirk softened by sympathetic eyes. The woman looked him over once, seeming pleased. "Well Silver-bullet, it seems that you've made it. You're stronger than Lion, that's for sure."

She walked a few steps in and dropped a ring of keys on the table outside the boy's cell.

"Turns out our King of the jungle underestimated a certain female officer and a group of detectives. Not one of your little friends could bear to rest until you and Takagi's "Murderers" were brought to justice. They may have gotten a few hints along the way as well." She winked and Conan rose to his feet, his voice raspy from little use.

"W-wait, you mean…" Vermouth simply smiled as she walked out, calling out behind her.

"Stay strong, Silver-bullet-kun."

The child fell to his knees in relief as sounds of running feet sounded in the hallway, quickly joined by the no-nonsense tone of officers. The door outside of his cell opened, revealing the much older eyes of Satou Miwako, seeming for all the world like an avenging angel whose work was finally done.

* * *

This is an ending I was considering for if I had been planning on doing a sequel quickly. If I make a sequel it's not coming out for a while. So I put it here. Not really an ending, more of an extra tidbit.

* * *

Vermouth walked slowly up to That Person, giving her report with an arrogant air. "The Cats are gone. They took a couple of unnecessary risks that caught up with them."

That Person looked over some files on his desk, police reports talking about the incident in question. He hummed interestedly. "Interesting that he should fail so soon after finally gaining this 'Kitten' he had been so obsessed with. Who was the child again?"

Vermouth hid her discomfort as she answered. "Conan Edogawa."

"Ah yes. The boy who had come so close to catching that annoying thief Kid. Interesting."

He pulled up some more files and Vermouth began to file her nails, feigning disinterest. "I looked into him a little when I heard that Lion got him. Seems he knows nearly every detective in Japan. It isn't exactly surprising that one of the found him."

That Person hummed in agreement, looking over a few papers. "Lion was a fool, but this child interests me. I want him watched."

"You want me to spend my time following some little brat?"

"Oh no. I want to save you for much more important things. I have others who would be more than happy to watch this child… more than happy."

He took a small piece of paper from the file and walked over to his desk, pulling out an empty file. He paper clipped the paper to the front of the file and lay it on his desk. Vermouth leaned forward, her blood running cold as she recognized the smiling face of Silver Bullet-kun staring out from the picture attached to the files front.

* * *

Next Alternate ending. Kinkalow decides to stay a Cat

I was going to have Takagi die in this one too, but I thought that would be repetitive, so I didn't do that.

* * *

Conan sighed in relief as Haibara's hand snatched the small black tracker. He waited a moment with bated breath as he feared that the door would burst open, revealing Lion or Tiger. Luckily no Cat came, however it was best not take chances. He looked back to his friends. "Okay, now you guys should get out of here before someone comes. Remember, call the police as soon as possible and-"

The boy cut off, his heart beating and his blood running cold as the door at the top of the staircase opened, a familiar looking cat's face peering through.

The entire room froze as the door opened, all of its inhabitants' eyes locked on the door. The tension never left, even as the small, shocked face of Kinkalow appeared around the door. For the moment not a word was said, and every person in the room was dead still. Six detectives stared in fear at this one child cat. Kinkalow stared at them in shock and confusion. Suddenly the child yelped and jumped back, slamming the door shut behind him. The detective boys all yelled and stormed up the stairs, desperately slamming against the door, but Kinkalow had already locked it, slamming the deadbolt in place. The children banged their fists on the door, screaming "Help, let us out!" But there was no reply from beyond the door.

On the other side Kinkalow sat leaning against the wooden frame, breathing heavily with his eyes wide. What was he supposed to do now? He should tell someone. He should call Persian. No. He was a Cat now, not a Kitten. He would call Lion. Slowly he stood, reaching for his cell phone only to stop as Puppy's voice rose above the clamor of the children.

"Kinkalow you don't have to do this."

The boy froze. He didn't?

"You don't have to listen to Lion. You don't have to be a Cat."

He didn't? What did Puppy mean? If he wasn't a Cat then what could he be? Was Puppy saying that he could be a Dog too? Or… or was he trying to make him be just another mouse, like everyone else. No. He had worked hard as a Kitten to become a Cat, and this was what he was going to be. It was what he wanted to be… wasn't it?

He could hear Puppy yelling again, but he held his hands over his ears. He grabbed one of the large, heavy chairs from the kitchen and pulled it over to lean against the door. The child ran to the other room, far away from Puppy- no, Kitten- and his deceptive silver tongue. He dialed the memorized number and bounced nervously in place as he waited for the leader to answer.

"What?" Lion asked, sounding murderously angry. Kinkalow gulped before answering.

"K-kids have infiltrated the scratching post with Kitten! They were in the holding room, talking to him when I found them."

"What! Where are they now? Is anyone else with them?"

"I locked them in with Kitten. I think they're alone."

"They must be the brat's little friends, coming to the rescue." He muttered mockingly before addressing the young criminal once more. "Keep them there, I will arrive shortly."

Lion hung up and Kinkalow allowed himself a deep breath. The Cat leader always made him nervous. The child silently made his way back to the door outside the cell. The children were no longer screaming and begging to be let out, but he could hear them talking to Kitten and the officer. The child sat in the chair he had leaned against the door, hugging his knees to his chest and wondering if this was truly what he wanted to do. His eyes traced around the room as he thought, noticing idly a bit of black plastic on the floor. He stared at it for a while, but felt neither the inclination nor the energy to pick it up.

He leaned against the door, straining to hear as the prisoners talked among themselves.

Conan had cursed when no reply had come from Kinkalow. He thought for sure that the boy had potential for a life after the cats, but it seemed that he had no desire to leave the life of crime. The small detective grimaced and looked down at the terrified children who had given up at the door to crowd around the mesh of the cage. Haibara looked at the detective boys in sadness but determination. She would get these innocent children out of this. She wouldn't let something happen to them because she convinced them to investigate a "haunted house" instead of looking for Conan.

"W-what do we do now?" Ayumi asked fearfully, looking to Conan for guidance. The boy closed his eyes in thought.

"Haibara, try to throw the tracker under the doorframe. If anyone is using my tracking glasses, they'll find it."

The girl nodded and moved to toss the small black plastic through the gap. She knew that in all likelihood no one would find them. Kudo knew it too. He was just trying to give the children hope.

"If Lion- or anyone- comes in, let me handle them. Don't say or do anything."

Mitsuhiko looked at Conan and Takagi. "S-shouldn't Takagi-keiji deal with the kidnappers?"

The officer shook his head sadly. "They don't care about me." He said, wetting his dry mouth as he spoke. "They only care about Conan-kun."

Kinkalow looked up as Lion came into the house, both Tiger and Tabby behind him. The child scrambled off of the chair and to his feet. "They're all still in there." He reported, and Lion nodded.

"Good. How many?"

"There were four, two boys and two girls."

The man nodded. It was Kitten's old friends all right. "You stay up here while I deal with them. Make sure no one else was following them."

The boy nodded and took up a post by a window, watching the adults out of the corner of his eye. Lion was looked at his phone's screen. He nodded to Tiger who placed a silenced gun to the door's wooden frame. With a tremendous crack of wood a hole was blown through the door and childish screams sounded from the other side.

"Do I have your attention?" Lion asked rhetorically. "Good. Backs against the cage, all of you."

He watched on the camera feed until four small bodies made their way against the mesh gate, only then nodding to Tabby to open the door. He walked in, smirking proudly while Tiger followed, gun in hand and aimed at the children. Lion eyed each of the children.

"Well well. How interesting, Kitten's little friends come to play the heroes. Seems we got hostages without even trying."

The children each gulped, not daring to move even as Lion pet Ayumi's head, the terrified girl barely flinching away.

"Leave them alone." Conan ground out lowly, menacingly. Lion simply smirked and nodded at Tiger, watching as the violent man grabbed Haibara and held her in a deadlock, placing the gun against her temple.

"We have quite a few hostages here Kitten. Which means that they are fairly… dispensable don't you think? I suggest you do what I say."

Haibara glared coolly at the arms that held her, but could do nothing about the dangerous weapon held tight against her skull. Conan audibly growled at the men, but was equally as powerless. Lion smirked and continued to speak.

"Get away from the door, to the bed."

Conan and Takagi glared, but did as the man commanded. Lion nodded to Tabby, watching as the children shied away from the Cat. Tabby opened the door and forced the detective boys in, smirking in amusement at how the boys "protected" the little girl. Finally, Haibara, still in the arms of Tiger, was the only child left outside the cage. Lion looked up and met eyes with Takagi.

"Come." He commanded simply. The officer gulped and looked down to Conan before ultimately obeying. He didn't struggle even as Tabby attached him to the very same bindings which held the dead Cat earlier. The man's eyes were locked on Haibara and the other children, knowing that he would soon be killed in front of their very eyes.

When the last restrictions were finally set in place Tiger roughly threw Haibara in the cage with the other children, locking it quickly as the Detective Boys surrounded their friend. Conan made his way up to the grate, scowling as Lion smirked.

"Well then, I suppose I had better prepare. No use wasting time now, is there." He crouched down until eye level with Conan. "And in case it wasn't obvious, I no longer have need for our little deal."

He turned to leave, stopping when Kinkalow's startled yelp sounded from outside the door. Tiger snarled, handing the gun to Lion as he reached for his staffs. Lion reloaded the chamber, letting Tiger go first as they made their way up the steps.

Hattori sprinted down the streets his heart beeting wildly as the small blinking dot neared the center of his glasses. He was almost there, almost to Kudo. He stopped as he was met with a large, empty-seeming house. Kudo was in there, he just knew it. He texted Satou the address, making his way into the building. He slowly snuck up to the house, noticing a distracted child in a window. Silently he made his way through the garage and into the house. His eyes alighted on the door with a huge bullet hole through the wood, sneaking behind the child. Just as he was nearly past the boy his phone buzzed, likely Satou responding to his text.

Kinkalow spun around with a yelp, and Hattori leapt over, gripping the boy by the back of his shirt, just as he did to annoy Kudo. However, it was too late and a pair of criminals stormed up the steps.

Tiger attacked, leaping at the intruding teen with his staffs in hand. Hattori gasped as he jumped to the side, recognizing the dark wood from in the alley. Tiger swung again, and to the man's intense surprise Hattori grabbed one of the sticks rather than dodging, using the Cats own momentum to flip him over and gain hold of the staff. He held it like the bokken he was so familiar with, and Tiger grinned at the stance. Oh boy, a challenge.

The two clashed, both masters in fighting. The staffs cracked against one another as the two fought. Kinkalow watched in amazement as the finesse and skill of the two locked in battle. Lion calmly held the gun, no amazement in his gaze, simply waiting for a good shot. Hattori slammed the Cat to the ground, momentarily leaving his chest wide open. Lion sighted his gun.

BANG! A scream ran out.

Hattori and Tiger both turned in surprise as Lion fell, clutching his leg. Behind him stood Satou, a furious and determined expression on her face. The cavalry had come. Police began to flood the room, grabbing the cats and storming the house. Hattori called Ran, shouting the good news. Conan had been found, they'd saved him. The girl got the address and promised to hurry over, hanging up the phone almost immediately. Suddenly there was a shout from behind the wooden door. "Nobody move."

The police ventured over, stopping dead when they saw Tabby, still in the room and backed against the grate, a gun pointed at the still bound Takagi. The officer's stood frozen, staring at the still Takagi and Tabby as the lower Cat glared. No one noticed the small Conan sneaking up behind the man, an open detective badge in hand.

Tabby yelped and spun as the sharp needle dug into the back of his leg, giving the officers the opening they needed to thunder down the stairs and tackle him. Conan smiled as handcuffs circled the Cat's hand and Takagi sighed in relief. It was over. They were finally done.

* * *

Okay, final crack ending!

* * *

Lion placed the gun up to Takagi's head, glancing over to smirk at the child in the cage. "You thought you were smart, huh Kitten? Thought you had outsmarted me with your little glasses trick. HA! How can you expect to outsmart an opponent you don't truly know!" With a flourish Lion gripped the edge of his face, tearing it off to reveal Yukiko Kudo. Conan sputtered and backed up, his mind nearly stopped in shock.

"M-m-mom!" He exclaimed, looking over to Tiger as the man took off his mask as well, revealing his father.

"Hello son."

Now Takagi looked more confused than ever. He had given up struggling to simply slump in confusion as the Cats began taking off their faces to reveal the Kudo family. Conan's eyes darted to Tabby, no longer surprised when the last cat turned out to be Agasa.

"B-b-but you killed someone!"

"Oh that was the son of one of my old acting coaches. Didn't he do a wonderful job with that scene?"

"Persian and Kinkalow?"

"Persian was the same kid, and your little friend Haibara-san helped us with the boy."

"You mean she was in on it too?"

Yukiko and Yusaku laughed. Takagi glanced between the family members as the parents released him and Conan. "Um, why would you go through all this trouble?"

Shinichi shrugged and rolled his eyes. "They always do this when they come into town."

* * *

Yeah… that was… interesting I guess… I know, ton of plot holes with that one, but it is a crack ending so…


End file.
